Carlos Ibarra-Cerdeña

Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute | Cinvestav · Departamento de Ecología Humana (Mérida)

The COVID-19 zoonosis is bringing about a number of lessons to humanity. One is that of transforming our links with nature and, particularly, wildlife given the likely COVID-19 origin from illegal wildlife trading. Similar to vector borne diseases (VBD, diseases transmitted by vectors), the COVID-19 pandemic follows related patterns (e.g. no effect...

Environmental change (i.e., urbanization) impacts species in contrasting ways, with some species experiencing benefits given their way of life (i.e., blood-sucking insects). How these species respond to such change is not well understood and for species involved in human diseases, this “how” question is particularly important. Most Triatominae bug...

A recent phylogenetic analysis of Triatoma pallidipennis, an important Chagas disease vector in Mexico, based on molecular markers, revealed five monophyletic haplogroups with validity as cryptic species. Here we compare T. pallidipennis haplogroups using head and pronotum features, environmental characteristics of their habitats, and ecological ni...

Rodents serve as reservoirs for up to 85 zoonotic diseases, some of which can be transmitted by ticks. Ticks of the Amblyomma and Ixodes genera have been recognized to be associated with 4 rodent species in the Yucatán Peninsula, México. Here, we present new records of rodents acting as hosts for ticks of these genera in tropical forests of Yucatán...

Background Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, whose genetic structure is divided into six discrete typing units (DTUs) known as TcI-TcVI. In the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, information regarding the DTUs circulating in wild mammals is scarce, while this is important knowledge for our understanding of T. cruzi transmission dynamics. Meth...

In Mexico, few studies have explored how environmental conditions in tropical dry forests (TDF) influence bat fly load even though, according to climate change scenarios, this ecosystem will experience a drier and warmer climate. Such an extension of the dry season in these ecosystems could have dramatic consequences for biodiversity, particularly...

Rodents thrive across various terrestrial ecosystems due to their adaptability and diverse traits. They also serve as hosts for numerous pathogens, some with significant public health implications like Hanta Virus, Machupo, Leptospira, Lyme Disease, and plague. However, our knowledge of their role in disease transmission remains geographically limi...

Background Chagas disease, affecting approximately eight million individuals in tropical regions, is primarily transmitted by vectors. Rhodnius prolixus , a triatomine vector, commonly inhabits in ecotopes with diverse palm tree species, creating optimal conditions for vector proliferation. This study aims to explore the transmission ecology of Try...

The cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) has demonstrated its ability to increase its distribution raising spatially its importance as a vector for zoonotic hemotro-pic pathogens. In this study, a global ecological niche model of R. microplus was built in different scenarios using Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP), SocioEc...

In Neotropical environments, we know little about the abun- dance of wild vertebrates traditionally hunted. Based on subsistence hunting records (2005-2019) as well as ethnographic information from Maya peasant-hunters, we assessed the inter-annual capture rate of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in a rural community in the northwest of t...

Objective. To provide primary evidence of Trypanosoma cruzi landscape genetics in the Mexican Neotropics. Materials and methods. Trypanosoma cruzi and discrete typing units (DTU) prevalence were analyzed in landscape communities of vectors, wildlife, livestock, pets, and sympatric human populations using endpoint PCR and sequencing of all relevant...

Populations of lionfish (Pterois volitans Linnaeus, 1758; Pterois miles Bennett, 1828) have expanded in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea since their introduction and have become a biological invasive species. This invasion has impacted these regions' marine biodiversity, and their impact is expected to increase due to climate ch...

Debido a la pandemia por Covid-19, se han socializado conceptos sobre procesos biológicos complejos, con la oportunidad del planteamiento ciudadano de preguntas sobre causas de la aparición del Sars-Cov-2: ¿cómo se transmitió a humanos y cuál fue la fuente del virus?; ¿cómo aumentó su transmisión y alcanzó la escala global en pocas semanas?; ¿qué d...

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban...

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban...

¿Durante la noche has visto siluetas volar sobre tu cabeza? ¡No te asustes!, son murciélagos que habitan con nosotros, mamíferos voladores que han logrado aprovechar los espacios urbanos en las ciudades grandes y en las no tan grandes.

Background In South and Central America, Plasmodium malariae/Plasmodium brasilianum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium simium , and Plasmodium falciparum has been reported in New World primates (NWP). Specifically in Costa Rica, the presence of monkeys positive to P. malariae/P brasilianum has been identified in both captivity and in the wild. The aim o...

Simple Summary: The presence of flavivirus-specific antibodies in neotropical non-human primates (NPs) (i.e., dengue virus) is well known. However, it is unclear if dengue virus or other flaviviruses could be maintained in sylvatic cycles. We detected the presence of antibodies against dengue virus (DENV-1, DENV-2), Saint Louis encephalitis virus (...

Triatominae are the largest radiation of haematophagous species within the true bugs (Hemiptera) and the sole vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, the causative agent of Chagas disease, a neglected human disease that affects millions. We used a combined ultraconserved element (UCE) and ribosomal dataset from ethanol‐preserved and pinned specimens i...

Background Spots and coloring patterns evaluated quantitatively can be used to discriminate and identify possible cryptic species. Species included in the Triatoma dimidiata (Reduviidae: Triatominae) complex are major disease vectors of Chagas disease. Phylogenetic studies have defined three haplogroups for Mexico and part of Central America. We re...

La zoonosis por COVID-19 trae consigo numerosas lecciones para la humanidad. Una de ellas relacionada con la transformación de nuestro vínculo con la naturaleza, en particular con la vida silvestre, dado el probable origen de COVID-19 relacionado con el comercio ilegal de vida silvestre. De forma similar a las enfermedades transmitidas por vectores...

The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) has been found in more than 350 species of homoeothermic vertebrates in diverse climates and geographic areas. In most animals, T. gondii produces mild or asymptomatic infection. However, acute and hyperacute toxoplasmosis is associated with high mortality rates observed in Neotropical primate...

Background: Spots and coloring patterns evaluated quantitatively can be used to discrimination and identify possible cryptic species. Triatoma dimidiata (Reduviidae: Triatominae) is one of the main complexes of Chagas disease vector species. Phylogenetic studies have defined three haplogroups for Mexico and part of Central America. In this work, we...

Background: Spots and coloring patterns evaluated quantitatively can be used to discrimination and identify possible cryptic species. Triatoma dimidiata (Reduviidae: Triatominae) is one of the main complexes of Chagas disease vector species. Phylogenetic studies have defined three haplogroups for Mexico and part of Central America. In this work, we...

Background: Triatoma dimidiata (Reduviidae: Triatominae) is an important vector of Chagas disease in various countries in the Americas. Phylogenetic studies have defined three lineages in Mexico and part of Central America. While there is a marked genetic differentiation, methods for identifying them using morphometric analyses with landmarks have...

Background: Triatoma dimidiata (Reduviidae: Triatominae) is an important vector of Chagas disease in various countries in the Americas. Phylogenetic studies have defined three lineages in Mexico and part of Central America. While there is a marked genetic differentiation, methods for identifying them using morphometric analyses with landmarks have...

Phenotypic changes in plants during domestication may disrupt plant-herbivore interactions. Because wild and cultivated plants have different habitats and some anti-herbivore defences exhibit some plasticity, their defences may be also influenced by the environment. Our goal was to assess the effects of domestication and the environment on herbivor...

The implementation of sustainable control strategies aimed at disrupting the transmission of vector-borne pathogens requires a comprehensive knowledge of the vector ecology in the different eco-epidemiological contexts, as well as the local pathogen transmission cycles and their dynamics. However, even when focusing only on one specific vector-born...

Triatominae is a subfamily of blood-sucking reduviid hemipterans of public health importance primarily in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas, whose members possess various morphological adaptations closely associated to hematophagy. Despite their medical importance, the systematics of the subfamily is far from resolved, particularly...

Background Triatoma dimidiata (Reduviidae: Triatominae) is an important vector of Chagas disease in various countries in the Americas. Phylogenetic studies using sequences from the cyt b, ND4, and 16S rRNA genes, have defined three lineages in Mexico and part of Central America, indicated between 6% and 14% divergence among haplogroups. While there...

Background Triatoma dimidiata (Reduviidae: Triatominae) is an important vector of Chagas disease in various countries in the Americas. Phylogenetic studies have defined three lineages in Mexico and part of Central America. While there is a marked genetic differentiation, methods for identifying them using morphometric analyses with landmarks have n...

Parvoviruses in the genera Bocaparvovirus (HBoV), Erythroparvovirus (B19) and Tetraparvovirus (PARV4) are the only autonomous parvoviruses known to be associated with human and nonhuman primates based on studies and clinical cases in humans worldwide and nonhuman primates in Asia and Africa. Here, the presence of these agents with pathogenic potent...

Background Triatoma dimidiata (Reduviidae: Triatominae) is an important vector of Chagas disease in various countries in the Americas. Phylogenetic studies have defined three lineages in Mexico and part of Central America, but methods for identifying them using morphometric analyses with landmarks have not yet been resolved. Elliptical Fourier Desc...

Chagas Chagas disease (CD) is a Zoonotic infectious Infectious diseases, produced by the ParasiteTrypanosoma cruzi. Infection results principally from contact with parasite-Contaminated bug feces, deposited during a triatomineTriatomines vector’s blood meal. The Vectors are ubiquitous in conserved and human-transformed Landscapes, since they inhabi...

The implementation of sustainable control strategies aimed at disrupting the transmission of vector-borne pathogens requires a comprehensive knowledge of the vector ecology in the different eco-epidemiological contexts, as well as the local pathogen transmission cycles and their dynamics. However, even when focus-ing only on one specific vector-bor...

Eighty-three wild and domestic carnivores of nine species from Janos Biosphere Reserve (JBR), Mexico, were tested by serologic and molecular assays to determine exposure and infection rates of carnivore protoparvovirus 1. Overall, 50.8% (33/65) of the wild carnivores and 100% (18/18) of the domestic dogs tested were seropositive for Canine protopar...

Background: Theory predicts that parasites can affect and thus drive their hosts' niche. Testing this prediction is key, especially for vector-borne diseases including Chagas disease. Here, we examined the niche use of seven triatomine species that occur in Mexico, based on whether they are infected or not with Trypanosoma cruzi, the vectors and c...

Parvoviruses in the genera Bocaparvovirus (HBoV), Erythroparvovirus (B19) and Tetraparvovirus (PARV4) are the only autonomous parvoviruses known to be associated with human and non-human primates based on studies and clinical cases in humans worldwide and non-human primates in Asia and Africa. Here, the presence of these pathogenic agents was asses...

The population genetics of Triatoma dimidiata haplogroups was analyzed at landscape and sub-regional scales in Chiapas and regional level across the Mexican Neotropics, and phylogeography of the complex was re-analyzed across its complete geographic range. Two contiguous fragments of the ND4 gene were analyzed due to bias from differential haplogro...

Bayesian skyline plots (BSP) showing historical demographic changes of T. dimidiata estimated from the ND4A fragment. The relative population size measured as a product-effective population size (y-axis) is shown over time in millions of years (x-axis) in a simulated coalescent-based demographic model using standard Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)....

Origin of Triatoma dimidiata samples included in analyses. (XLSX)

Summary statistics for dimidiata haplogroups from Berriozábal sub-regions, using ND4A and ND4B fragments. (TIF)

Haplotypes of the ND4B fragment. (DOCX)

Nine sandfly species are suspected or proven vectors of Leishmania spp. in the North and Central America region. The ecological niche in three-time periods for these nine species were modeled, and the overlap for all time periods of species geographic predictions (G space), and of the ecological dimension using pairwise comparisons of equivalent ni...

Garantizar la seguridad alimentaria para la creciente población representa uno de los mayores desafíos que enfrenta nuestra sociedad. Se estima que 840 millones de personas, principalmente en países en vías de desarrollo, están desnutridas crónicamente y sobreviven con menos de 800 kilocalorías diarias (1). Si este problema no se atiende con oportu...

The traditional classification of avian Haemosporida is based mainly on morphology and life history traits. Recently, molecular hypotheses have challenged the traditional classification, leading to contradictory opinions on whether morphology is phylogenetically informative. However, the morphology has never been used to reconstruct the relationshi...

The Epicauta stigmata complex is a group of blister beetles composed of three parapatric or sympatric species that occur in central Mexico to southern USA: E. stigmata, E. uniforma and E. melanochroa. These species are morphologically very similar, and are mainly distinguished by body colour differences. Here we assessed whether phenotypic divergen...

Chagas disease (CD), which mostly affects those living in deprived areas, has become one of Latin America’s main public health problems. Effective prevention of the disease requires early diagnosis, initiation of therapy, and regular blood monitoring of the infected individual. However, the majority of the Trypanosoma cruzi infections go undiagnose...

Contemporary patterns of land use and global climate change are modifying regional pools of parasite host species. The impact of host community changes on human disease risk, however, is difficult to assess due to a lack of information about zoonotic parasite host assemblages. We have used a recently developed method to infer parasite-host interact...

List of vector and mammal species with IDs used in networks

List of interactions between vector and mammals species and their associated epsilon value The list also includes the mammals traits (in binary form) related with T. cruzi reports and Synanthropic behavior.

The R script used to perform the analysis included in this study

Presentación del II Congreso Internacional de Vectores (Hemíptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) y del Trypanosoma cruzi. Simposio Internacional sobre la Enfermedad de Chagas

Background The evolutionary history and ecological associations of Trypanosoma cruzi, the need to identify genetic markers that can distinguish parasite subpopulations, and understanding the parasite’s evolutionary and selective processes have been the subject of a significant number of publications since 1998, the year when the first DNA sequence...

Zoonoses are an important class of infectious diseases. An important element determining the impact of a zoonosis on domestic animal and human health is host range. Although for particular zoonoses some host species have been identified, until recently there have been no methods to predict those species most likely to be hosts or their relative imp...

Ranked list of mammals according to their epsilon values. (DOCX)

Supplementary Field Methodology. (DOCX)

Este documento presenta cuatro contribuciones metodológicas para poder integrar en el proceso del Ordenamiento Ecológico del Territorio (oet) la dimensión del riesgo de una forma sistemática, a la luz de las implicaciones que el Cambio Climático tiene como acelerador/ desencadenador de peligros, un listado actualizado de referencias con diversas té...

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is highly endemic in southern Mexico. The first clinical reports were made by Danish physician Harald Seidelin in 1912 and other epidemiological work by Beltran and Bustamante (1942) and a decade later, the outstanding work of Dr. Francisco Biagi Filizola, identified the causative parasite as Leishmania mexicana (Biagi, 1953...

Landscape interactions of Trypanosoma cruzi (Tc) with Triatoma dimidiata (Td) depend on the presence and relative abundance of mammal hosts. This study analyzed a landscape adjacent to the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, composed of conserved areas, crop and farming areas, and the human community of Zoh Laguna with reported Chagas disease cases. Sylvat...

Chagas disease is one of the most important yet neglected parasitic diseases in Mexico and is transmitted by Triatominae. Nineteen of the 31 Mexican triatomine species have been consistently found to invade human houses and all have been found to be naturally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. The present paper aims to produce a state-of-knowledge at...

Triatoma dimidiata (Latreille) is a key vector complex of Trypanosoma cruzi, etiologic agent of Chagas disease, as it spans North, Central, and South America. Although morphological and genetic studies clearly indicate existence of at least five clades within the species, there has been no robust or systematic revision, or appropriate nomenclature...

Author Summary Leishmaniasis is endemic in southeastern Mexico, where Leishmania ( L .) mexicana is the principle parasite species causing disease in humans. Previous studies using methodology for inferring potential biotic interactions between species had shown a high prevalence of bat species as potential hosts for Leishmania , yet bats have not...

Landscape interactions of Trypanosoma cruzi (Tc) with Triatoma dimidiata (Td) depend on the presence and relative abundance of mammal hosts. This study analyzed a landscape adjacent to the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, composed of conserved areas, crop and farming areas, and the human community of Zoh Laguna with reported Chagas disease cases. Sylvat...

The niche conservatism hypothesis states that related species diverge in niche characteristics at lower rates than expected, given their lineage divergence. Here we analyze whether niche conservatism is a common pattern among vector species (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) of Trypanosoma cruzi that inhabit North and Central America, a highly he...

Ecological niche models are useful tools to infer potential spatial and temporal distributions in vector species and to measure epidemiological risk for infectious diseases such as the Leishmaniases. The ecological niche of 28 North and Central American sand fly species, including those with epidemiological relevance, can be used to analyze the vec...

Traditional methods for Chagas disease prevention are targeted at domestic vector reduction, as well as control of transfusion and maternal-fetal transmission. Population connectivity of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected vectors and hosts, among sylvatic, ecotone and domestic habitats could jeopardize targeted efforts to reduce human exposure. This connec...

Networks offer a powerful tool for understanding and visualizing inter-species ecological and evolutionary interactions. Previously considered examples, such as trophic networks, are just representations of experimentally observed direct interactions. However, species interactions are so rich and complex it is not feasible to directly observe more...

In all, 40 native triatomine species and subspecies occur in NA, belonging to six genera from the Triatomini (Triatoma, Paratriatoma, Panstrongylus, Dipetalogaster, Belminus, Eratyrus), and one genus from the Rhodniini (represented by one non-native species Rhodnius prolixus, formerly occurring exclusively in domestic habitats); 28 species are foun...

Networks offer a powerful tool for understanding and visualizing inter-species interactions within an ecology. Previously considered examples, such as trophic networks, are just representations of experimentally observed direct interactions. However, species interactions are so rich and complex it is not feasible to directly observe more than a sma...

We report Musonycteris harrisoni (Phyllostomidae) and Tlacuatzin canescens (Didelphidae) feeding of flowers during the blooming period (March and April 2004) of Stenocereus queretaroensis, an endemic cactus showing nocturnal anthesis and chiropterophilic syndrome. Visits were considered legitimate because both mammals made contact with the stigma a...

Reportamos un nido activo y exitoso de Falco peregrinus, localizado en la Sierra del Perote, Colima, México (ca. 19°N Lat). Este nido constituye el primer registro de anidación para esta especie en la región fisiográfica de la Sierra Madre del Sur y extiende el ámbito reproductivo de la especie en América del Norte por aproximadamente 550 Km. Obser...

Flowers of columnar cacti are animal-pollinated, often displaying a chiropterophylic syndrome. This study examined if the columnar cactus Stenocereus queretaroensis, a tropical species endemic to western Mexico, is bat-pollinated, by studying its pollination biology and the foraging behavior of potential pollinators. Flowers were produced in winter...