Microplásticos en materia fecal de rumiantes en Ecuador

Iván Roberto González Puetate; Galo Ernesto Martínez Cepeda; Pablo Torres Lasso; Katherine Natalia Chávez Toledo; Gabriela Guevara Enrique

doi:10.19137/cienvet202426203

Iván Roberto González Puetate Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil
Galo Ernesto Martínez Cepeda Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0169-7746
Pablo Torres Lasso Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1247-3919
Katherine Natalia Chávez Toledo Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil
Gabriela Guevara Enrique Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0375-0758

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19137/cienvet202426203

Keywords:

Feces, Plastic Particles, Flotation, Pollution, Fauna

Abstract

The current study provides evidence of the presence of microplastics in the feces of cattle, sheep, and goats under production in Ecuador as a relevant indicator in the understanding of fragmentation processes, biodistribution mechanisms, and possible effects of contamination in the agri-food chain. A total of 300 samples of ruminant feces were analyzed in a field, observational, and cross-sectional study. Using the saturated salt solution flotation technique, 75.67% of the samples were found to be contaminated with microplastics. Statistical analyses, which included frequency distribution tables, Pearson's Chi-Square test, Z-test, and Odds Ratio using SPSS version 26 software, showed that the type of feeding is a significant factor in the presence of microplastics in ruminant feces. In addition, an 87% increase in the reduction of microplastics in ruminant feces was observed in grazing systems compared to those receiving balanced supplemental feeding. Finally, there was an 85.3% increase in microplastics found in the feces of cattle grazing near roads. These results suggest the importance of considering the type of feed and the grazing environment when addressing microplastic contamination in the agri-food chain and its potential impact on one health systems.

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Author Biographies

Iván Roberto González Puetate, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil

MVZ - MBA - Msc. producción y sanidad animal- especialista en producción de animales menores. Docente en la Universidad de Guayaquil (UG)

Galo Ernesto Martínez Cepeda, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil

Docente Investigador acreditado desde el 2016 por la Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENESCYT) de formación Medico Veterinario Zootecnista con una formación de posgrado de especialidad, maestría y doctorado enfocada en la rama del diagnóstico veterinario, destacando las áreas de la microbiología y anatomopatología. Participe de varias investigaciones con grupos de investigación nacionales y extranjeras.

Pablo Torres Lasso, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil

Actividad académico - científica: Docente de las cátedras de Epidemiología y Salud Pública Veterinaria en la Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad de Guayaquil, línea de interés en investigación en epidemiología de las enfermedades infecciosas.

Katherine Natalia Chávez Toledo, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil

Médica Veterinaria Zootecnista (Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil) y Máster en Producción y Sanidad Animal (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid y Universidad Complutense de Madrid). Práctica profesional: Clínica de especies menores. Docente Universitaria de la carrera de Medicina Veterinaria. Investigadora del Proyecto FCI 090-2023 con el Tema: Evaluación de la presencia de microplásticos en especies de producción pecuaria de la provincia del Guayas, Ecuador. Publicación en revistas internacionales

Gabriela Guevara Enrique, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics University of Guayaquil

Como investigadora con más de 14 años de experiencia en la enseñanza en distintos niveles educativos, mi enfoque se dirige hacia la educación superior. Mis investigaciones, llevadas a cabo tanto en español como en inglés, abordan temas contemporáneos con el objetivo de mejorar la calidad académica. Implemento metodologías innovadoras para contribuir al progreso y perfeccionamiento continuo del sistema educativo superior.

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Funding: Universidad de Guayaquil, Ecuador - Resolution No. R-CSU-UG-SE34-313-14-09- 2023, FCI project 090: Evaluation of the presence of microplastics in livestock production species in the province of Guayas, Ecuador.

Conflict of interest: the authors declare the absence of conflicts of interest in writing in the submitted work while completing the conflict-of-interest declaration form available from the publisher.

Author contributions: All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by: Gonzalez-Puetate Ivan, Martinez-Cepeda Galo, Torres-Lasso Pablo, Chavez Katherine, and Guevara Gabriela.

The first draft of the research paper was written by González-Puetate Iván and all authors commented on earlier versions of the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.