Rodolfo Umaña-Castro- M.Sc. Biotechnology
- Professor (Associate) at National University of Costa Rica
Rodolfo Umaña-Castro
- M.Sc. Biotechnology
- Professor (Associate) at National University of Costa Rica
About
49
Publications
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Introduction
Current institution
Education
July 2007 - November 2010
January 2002 - December 2005
January 1999 - December 2001
Publications
Publications (49)
Live cultures, including Nannochloropsis oculata and Brachionus plicatilis, are essential in aquaculture due to its economic and nutritional value for commercial fish species. Pathogens and probiotics can be introduced to aquaculture systems by live feed, with variations in abundance influenced by environmental physicochemical parameters. To invest...
Antimicrobial resistance poses a growing threat to human health, yet its implications for wildlife remain a subject of ongoing research. River otters inhabiting the Peñas Blancas River face exposure to various anthropogenic activities in their habitat, potentially leading to the accumulation of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) with unknown consequ...
This contribution is a histological and scanning electron microscopy study of major flagellar setae of antennules from the most cultured crustacean species, Penaeus vannamei. Antennule samples were collected from females and males of selected species and processed for histological as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluation. The histol...
Introducción. La enfermedad de la necrosis aguda del hepatopáncreas (AHPND, por sus siglas en inglés) es producida por bacterias Vibrio parahaemolyticus que poseen un plásmido con genes que codifican las toxinas pirA y pirB. La enfermedad se caracteriza por descamación masiva de las células epiteliales del hepatopáncreas, la atrofia y decoloración...
In this study, we further investigate the hypothesis that serotonin plus spiperone (Ser+Spi) injection induces ovarian maturation and releases ovarian maturation inducing pheromones into the water, thereby stimulating neighboring untreated females. Litopenaeus vannamei females (b.w. = 40.40 ± 5.84 g; n = 120) and males (b.w. = 34.25 ± 4.68 g; n= 90...
Indiscriminate use of highly toxic pesticides in agriculture has produced soil contamination and deterioration
of ecosystems. A promising solution to this environmental problem is bioremediation, which includes the
use of bacteria to degrade contaminating substances. [Objective] The objective of this work was to isolate,
identify, and characterize...
The objective of this study was to determine the distribution, richness, and molecular identification of spider crabs in the Costa Rican Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Distribution maps were created for species of the Mithracidae family on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Costa Rica, based on exploratory samplings and spatio-temporal records of c...
Introduction: Avian typhoid and pullorosis, diseases caused by Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica (Gallinarum serotype, Gallinarum and Pullorum biotypes), cause high mortality in poultry and generate large economic losses. Objective: To optimize molecular techniques, such as endpoint PCR and real-time PCR (qPCR), to detect avian typhoid and pullor...
Técnicas moleculares requieren extracciones de ácidos nucleicos en cantidad y pureza adecuadas. Este trabajo describe un modelo lineal generalizado (GLM) de un factor ajustado con efectos fijos sobre el rendimiento de ácido nucleico (ng/μl) y la pureza (A260/A280 y A260/A230), para cinco métodos de extracción de ADN utilizando tarjetas FTA con sang...
The objective of this study was to determine the distribution, richness, and molecular identification of spider crabs in the Costa Rican Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Distribution maps were created for species of the Mithracidae family on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Costa Rica, based on exploratory samplings and spatio-temporal records of c...
Molecular techniques require extractions of nucleic acids in adequate quantity and purity. This work describes a generalized linear model (GLM) of an adjusted factor with fixed effects on nucleic acid yield (ng/μl) and purity (A260/A280 and A260/A230), for five methods of DNA extraction using FTA cards with goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) blood. Two c...
Streptococcosis is a bacterial disease in tilapia that produces economic losses, caused mainly by Streptococcus agalactiae and S. iniae. It is treated using oxytetracycline and florfenicol, which when inappropriately used promotes the selection of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The disease has been mainly associated with stress events such as...
Sardines, together with anchovies, constitute one of the most important groups in the fishery of the Gulf of Nicoya. They are consumed by large fish and seabirds; therefore, they not only suffer from fishing exploitation but also have high rates of natural mortality. Due to their commercial and ecological importance, it is necessary to have a relia...
Phenotypic and molecular characterization, and influence of culture media, on the growth and light emission of bacteria from the coast of Havana, Cuba. Introduction: The light-emitting enzyme complex of luminescent bacteria is a powerful biochemical tool, with a wide variety of applications including environmental quality monitoring. Objectives: To...
Introduction: Bioluminescence is the ability of certain organisms to transform chemical energy into light energy through various biochemical processes. Objective: Isolation and identification for the first time of luminescent bacteria of superficial marine water, and the identification of marine luminescent dinoflagellates of Isla del Coco National...
Genetically modified crops (GMC) are of particular interest due to their impact on the global economy. Therefore, as a general concern, many countries have established some regulations in regards to genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In Costa Rica, the cultivation of GMOs has been practiced since 1991; however, there´s a lack of studies that mo...
The main aim of this study was to determine the molecular presence of photoautotrophic organisms associated with marine sponges of the genera Aplysina and Axinella in the Costa Rican North Pacific Coast.
The Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) is an important species in shallow-water coral reefs and target of the most lucrative fishery in the Caribbean Sea. We explored historical demography in P. argus inferred using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We expected an increase in population size of P. argus from Florida, US...
Environmental pollution associated with the excessive use of pesticides has prompted the need for alternative practices in agriculture, such as the application of biological agents for controlling plant pathogens. Trichoderma is an agent that is amply used for biocontrol, however the fungus is difficult to identify at the species level strictly by...
Shrimp farming worldwide is based on a similar technological package, characterized by three phases: Controlled Reproduction, Larvae Culture, and Grow-out Culture. This basic aquaculture package uses broodstock animals, with different levels of fundamental genetic selection, induced to mature and reproduce based on unilateral eyestalk ablation. Thi...
Marine organisms with a short pelagic larval duration (PLD) are assumed to display significant population structure given low long-distance dispersal ability. For the wider Caribbean, theoretical and empirical considerations suggest that species with short PLD inhabiting each of the following areas should be genetically distinct: Costa Rica (CR), M...
The expansion of the shrimp industry depends on scientific advances related to the understanding of reproductive endocrinology that allows the development of aquaculture programs based on biotechnology. An insulin like-androgenic gland hormone (IAG) is synthesized in the male-specific androgenic gland (AG) and it is responsible for sex differentiat...
The land-hopper, Talitroides topitotum, is a talitrid amphipod distributed worldwide in subtropical and template regions, with a wide
range of altitudinal distribution, temperature and humidity. Specimens were collected and processed since 2012 until 2016, by
collection-filtration of wet substrates. Specimens were taxonomically identified using dia...
With stricter laws regulating the capture and possession of wild animals in Costa Rica, local wildlife-rescue centers have been overwhelmed by an influx of confiscated or relinquished illegal pets, specifically of psittacine species. As part of a nationwide health-assessment program targeting these centers, 122 birds representing five psittacine sp...
Costa Rica actualmente es el país que más aplica agroquímicos por área
en el mundo. Por esta razón ha surgido el uso de agentes biológicos
como alternativa para el combate de patógenos. Sin embargo; a veces
éstos no son efectivos ya que no se tiene la certeza del género y especie.
Trichoderma es un agente biológico ampliamente utilizado; pero es di...
Light emitted by luminescent bacteria is sensitive to several toxic compounds; therefore, some luminous species have been used to evaluate the quality of water environments. In the present study we carried out the phenotypic characterization and molecular identification of a marine luminescent isolate (CBM-784) from the NW Cuban coast. The identifi...
The luminescence in bacteria depends on the quorum sensing and it’s regulated by luxCDAB operon, these genes expression can be inhibited when exposed to toxic substances such as heavy metals, therefore luminous bacteria have been used in aquatic ecosystem toxicity tests. In this study we determined the abundance and identification of luminescent ba...
Costa Rica has a significant number of snakebites per year and bacterial infections are often complications in these animal bites. Hereby, this study aims to identify, characterize, and report the diversity of the bacterial community in the oral and cloacal cavities of venomous and nonvenomous snakes found in wildlife in Costa Rica. The snakes wher...
En el 2009, se reportó la invasión del pez león en los arrecifes del
Caribe Sur de Costa Rica, que se supone inciden en la calidad de
los ecosistemas. Se evaluó la población invasiva del pez león,
la secuenciación genética y educación ambiental para proponer
recomendaciones para su manejo. Las densidades fueron 62 y 65 ind/
ha en 2011 y 2013 en Per...
Las cianobacterias son procariotas fotoautótrofos, morfológica y molecularmente diversas, en las cuales se han reportado avances biotecnológicos sobre fijación de nitrógeno, biorremediación y valor nutricional-farmacéutico. La identificación tradicional de cianobacterias basada en morfología puede ser imprecisa, por lo que las técnicas moleculares...
Molecular detection of transgenic DNA sequences in human food and animal feed in Costa Rica. Since the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops, there has been a continuous growth in adoption of the technology and in commercialization of food and feed products derived from GM crops worldwide. Governments and organizations have developed meth...
Background and Objective: The identification and diagnosis of citrus viroids can be achieved by molecular techniques that directly detect
the presence of viroid genomes within infected plant RNA pools. Several studies have reported numerous diagnostic parameters for
detection of citrus viroids in field-grown plants. Herein, we report an improved mo...
Identification and molecular characterization of tropical cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc, Calothrix, Tolypothrix and Scytonema (Nostocales: Nostocaceae), with possible biotechnological potential. Cyanobacteria or "Blue-Green" algae comprise a diverse cluster of prokaryotic photoautotrophs that share a high morphological and molecular abundance....
Indirect evidence indicates that penaeids may have a W/Z sex heritability mechanism with the androgenic gland (AG) mediating masculine differentiation. The present study evaluated the immune response against grafts and the expression of primary and secondary male sexual characters in Litopenaeus vannamei females implanted with terminal ampoules and...
The present study demonstrates ultrastructurally the model of Litopenaeus vannamei male sexual maturation and spermatozoal capacitation. The results show that phase 1 of the model occurred in the seminiferous tubules and includes spermatogenesis. In this phase, throughout differentiation of spermatogonia into late spermatids the following processes...
A nivel mundial, se desarrollan esfuerzos dirigidos a determinar el estado de contaminación de los ecosistemas marinos, uno de los métodos que actualmente se están probando es la utilización de bacterias luminiscentes como indicadores de contaminación, esto debido a que su abundancia y capacidad de emitir luz disminuye considerablemente en ambiente...
A nivel mundial, se desarrollan esfuerzos dirigidos a determinar el estado de contaminación de los ecosistemas marinos, uno de los métodos que actualmente se están probando es la utilización de bacterias luminiscentes como indicadores de contaminación, esto debido a que su abundancia y capacidad de emitir luz disminuye considerablemente en ambiente...
This research was implemented to study the effects of androgenic gland ablation in the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei to explore sex reversal potential as an alternative technology for monosex female mariculture based on the sex dimorphic growth of this species. The surgical procedure was applied to male postlarvae (PL) at different ages, after...
Este estudio documenta por primera vez la introducción del anfípodo terrestre, Talitroides topitotum (Talitridae) en diversas zonas montañosas de los cantones de San Rafael y Barva, Heredia, Costa Rica, con predominio de juveniles y hembras adultas con y sin huevos. La especie es de origen asiático y podría haber sido introducida asociada con plant...
This study documents for the first time the introduction of the terrestrial amphipod, Talitroides topitotum (Talitridae) in different mountain regions of San Rafael and Barva, Heredia, Costa Rica. This amphipod is characterized by athe predominance of juveniles and adult females with and without eggs. The species comes from Asia and could have been...
The occurrence of Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd), Citrus bent leaf viroid (CBLVd), Hop stunt viroid (HSVd), Citrus dwarfing viroid (CDVd), Citrus bark cracking viroid (CBCVd) and Citrus viroid VI (CVd-VI) in Citrus spp. cultivated in six provinces of Uruguay was surveyed in 2008- 2009 and 2009-2010 growing seasons using Northern blot hybridization....
An effi cient method for RNA extraction that leads to RNA high yield and purity is a technical issue relevant for development
and optimization of molecular diagnostic methods aimed to detect viroid infections in citrus varieties.
Residual contaminants may affect RNA detection depending on the molecular diagnosis approaches. This condition
can be ev...
Stipa neesiana is a cool-season perennial grass valued as an important genetic resource in Uruguay. Random
Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) molecular markers were used in order to characterize the distribution of
genetic diversity and breeding system in this species. Five primers were selected which generated 71 RAPD
bands. Using these primers, 270...
