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Papers by olga suarez
EcoHealth, 2013
The general aim of this study was to assess the possibility of including elements of environmenta... more The general aim of this study was to assess the possibility of including elements of environmental health education within the curriculum of a school located in a shantytown of Buenos Aires city, Argentina. An environmental health education campaign was designed to introduce school-aged children to the problems posed by the lack of environmental sanitation, by using rodents as indicators of environmental disorder. The methodology implemented consisted of a lecture and two practical activities where the participating children were the evaluators of their neighborhood environment, recording the environmental factors that indicate direct or indirect presence of rodents and carrying out a survey about rodents among their neighbors. To assess the impact of the activities, an anonymous questionnaire was performed with the students before and after the campaign. The results showed that students were able to identify the man-made factors which favor the presence of rodents and were encouraged to propose strategies related to environmental sanitation to reduce rodent proliferation and the transmission of their parasites. This study demonstrated the feasibility of performing environmental health education campaigns in school-aged children by using practical activities to stimulate observation, participation, and comprehensive understanding of the problems posed by urban pests.
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2004
The balance between litter size and the quality of offspring is a central feature to many optimal... more The balance between litter size and the quality of offspring is a central feature to many optimal litter-size theories. We analyzed the reproductive strategies of Akodon azarae (Fischer, 1829) females, according to maternal life histories and the time of birth. Litter size decreased significantly from spring to autumn. A significant birth–season effect on mass at birth was observed. A compensatory effect of growth rate was evident during lactation. During spring and early summer, over-wintered females produced an average of 5 young, with maximum survival at weaning (100%). Females born during the current reproductive season showed a smaller litter size, probably because they favor residual reproductive value with respect to current reproduction since they have a higher life expectancy and future chances of mating than over-wintered females. Mortality reached 50% at weaning for summer litters from young mothers, whereas it declined to 22.2% in autumn. Differences in both parental inv...
Cogent Food & Agriculture, 2018
The lack of a standardized protocol makes it difficult to compare studies on the efficacy of comm... more The lack of a standardized protocol makes it difficult to compare studies on the efficacy of commercial rodenticides. To contribute to the knowledge of pest control technology, we compared the efficacy of 17 commercial baits with different active ingredients and types of formulation from various commercial suppliers, using a standardized efficacy protocol under laboratory conditions. All rats died in all experimental groups. First deaths occurred 3 days after the beginning of the trial; average survival varied between 4.17 ± 0.12 days (difethialone wax blocks) and 5.96 ± 0.35 days (difenacoum pellets). Results showed no consistent pattern of time to death according to active ingredient and type of formulation. For bromadiolonebased baits, the grains induced significantly shorter time to death than wax blocks and the individuals fed on wax blocks varied the consumption rate according to the commercial supplier, while those consuming grains showed more homogeneous values. Our results show that although mortality was 100% efficacy differed among baits. These differences could be explained by the combination of the formulation type and commercial supplier rather than by the active ingredient itself.
EcoHealth, 2013
The general aim of this study was to assess the possibility of including elements of environmenta... more The general aim of this study was to assess the possibility of including elements of environmental health education within the curriculum of a school located in a shantytown of Buenos Aires city, Argentina. An environmental health education campaign was designed to introduce school-aged children to the problems posed by the lack of environmental sanitation, by using rodents as indicators of environmental disorder. The methodology implemented consisted of a lecture and two practical activities where the participating children were the evaluators of their neighborhood environment, recording the environmental factors that indicate direct or indirect presence of rodents and carrying out a survey about rodents among their neighbors. To assess the impact of the activities, an anonymous questionnaire was performed with the students before and after the campaign. The results showed that students were able to identify the man-made factors which favor the presence of rodents and were encouraged to propose strategies related to environmental sanitation to reduce rodent proliferation and the transmission of their parasites. This study demonstrated the feasibility of performing environmental health education campaigns in school-aged children by using practical activities to stimulate observation, participation, and comprehensive understanding of the problems posed by urban pests.
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2004
The balance between litter size and the quality of offspring is a central feature to many optimal... more The balance between litter size and the quality of offspring is a central feature to many optimal litter-size theories. We analyzed the reproductive strategies of Akodon azarae (Fischer, 1829) females, according to maternal life histories and the time of birth. Litter size decreased significantly from spring to autumn. A significant birth–season effect on mass at birth was observed. A compensatory effect of growth rate was evident during lactation. During spring and early summer, over-wintered females produced an average of 5 young, with maximum survival at weaning (100%). Females born during the current reproductive season showed a smaller litter size, probably because they favor residual reproductive value with respect to current reproduction since they have a higher life expectancy and future chances of mating than over-wintered females. Mortality reached 50% at weaning for summer litters from young mothers, whereas it declined to 22.2% in autumn. Differences in both parental inv...
Cogent Food & Agriculture, 2018
The lack of a standardized protocol makes it difficult to compare studies on the efficacy of comm... more The lack of a standardized protocol makes it difficult to compare studies on the efficacy of commercial rodenticides. To contribute to the knowledge of pest control technology, we compared the efficacy of 17 commercial baits with different active ingredients and types of formulation from various commercial suppliers, using a standardized efficacy protocol under laboratory conditions. All rats died in all experimental groups. First deaths occurred 3 days after the beginning of the trial; average survival varied between 4.17 ± 0.12 days (difethialone wax blocks) and 5.96 ± 0.35 days (difenacoum pellets). Results showed no consistent pattern of time to death according to active ingredient and type of formulation. For bromadiolonebased baits, the grains induced significantly shorter time to death than wax blocks and the individuals fed on wax blocks varied the consumption rate according to the commercial supplier, while those consuming grains showed more homogeneous values. Our results show that although mortality was 100% efficacy differed among baits. These differences could be explained by the combination of the formulation type and commercial supplier rather than by the active ingredient itself.