Publications by authors named "Hugo Ruiz-Pina"

The occurrence of in mammals is an indicator for assessing potential health risks, particularly in tropical regions. Understanding their hosts' habitat characteristics and spatial occurrence is essential to surveil them. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of the peridomiciles associated with the spatial occurrence of hosts.

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Background: Trypanosoma cruzi is mainly transmitted to mammals by vectors, but other transmission routes exist. For example, opossums can harbor the infectious form of the parasite in their anal glands, underscoring their potential role in non-vectorial transmission. T.

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In the present study, helminths from six Didelphis virginiana and one Philander vossi are reported using morphological techniques (clearing, staining, and scanning electron microscopy). Additionally, the 28S rRNA sequences of individuals from nine helminth taxa are provided. Phylogenetic analyses were performed with the new 28S rRNA sequences to confirm the identification and the genealogical relationships of the parasites.

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Triatoma dimidiata is a vector of the hemoparasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease. It settles reproductive colonies in the peridomicile of the premises. The peridomicile is comprised of a random set of artificial and natural features that overlap and assemble a network of microenvironmental suitable sites (patches) that interact with each other and favor the structure and proliferation of T.

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Environmental changes triggered by deforestation, urban expansion and climate change are present-day drivers of the emergence and reemergence of leishmaniasis. This review describes the current epidemiological scenario and the feasible influence of environmental changes on disease occurrence in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. Relevant literature was accessed through different databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Google, and Mexican official morbidity databases.

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Leishmaniases are a group of vector-borne zoonotic diseases of public health relevance within the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The state of Yucatan is a vulnerable and receptive area to localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) due to its proximity to the high-transmission endemic states of Campeche and Quintana Roo. Autochthonous cases of LCL caused by () have been documented in the state, showing a geographical expansion of the disease.

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Localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) is an endemic disease in several Mexican States with the main endemic areas located in the South-Southeast region of the country, where 90% of Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana cases are registered. The Southeast region is located in the Yucatan Peninsula, including Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan States. Campeche and Quintana Roo register more than 60% of the cases in the country each year, while in Yucatan the reports are of imported cases due to residents traveling to endemic areas.

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Considered a neglected tropical pathology, Chagas disease is responsible for thousands of deaths per year and it is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Since many infected people can remain asymptomatic, a fast diagnosis is necessary for proper intervention. Parasite microscopic observation in blood samples is the gold standard method to diagnose Chagas disease in its initial phase; however, this is a time-consuming procedure, requires expert intervention, and there is currently no efficient method to automatically perform this task.

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Rickettsioses are vector-borne zoonotic diseases that occur in urban environments. Currently, they are associated with the presence of domestic and synanthropic animals, the ectoparasites that they harbor, and their local habitat. The implementation of prevention actions relies on the understanding of the local ecology of interactions between hosts, vector species, and the etiologic agents.

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A faunal study is presented to determine the species of ectoparasites found in the opossum Didelphis virginiana (Kerr) (Marsupialia: Didelphidae). For this, Tomahawk traps were placed in the peridomiciles of a rural town in Yucatán, to capture individuals of this marsupial and proceed to the collection of their ectoparasites. A total of 3,023 arthropods were collected from 145 opossums.

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Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been used for many decades, both for the control of pests in agriculture and for the control of vectors of human and animal diseases. Several recent studies have reported significant concentrations of these compounds in multiple environmental substrates due to their persistence, as well as the effect they have on ecosystem health, human health, and wildlife populations. In the present study, organochlorine pesticide residues were determined and quantified in 260 blood samples from different populations of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) from 11 rural ex-henequen sites of the state of Yucatan, Mexico.

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The aim of the present work was to apply a validated methodology for the detection of organochlorine pesticides in Didelphis virginiana (Virginia opossum) serum samples collected in Yucatan, Mexico. Recent studies performed to investigate the presence of Organochlorines (OCLs) in water, human blood and milk, and animal tissues from Yucatan have shown that the OCLs concentrations are high and can be associated with potential human health risk. Since opossum is considered an important synanthropic species in Yucatan, 40 opossum serum samples were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector.

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  The aim of the present study is to determine the basal parameters in opossums ( Didelphis virginiana) during physical examination in Yucatan, Mexico. Sixty-six opossums were captured and manually handled for physical examinations. Sex, age, cardiac and respiratory rate, body temperature, pulse, mucous membranes, capillary refill time, hydration, size of superficial lymph nodes, mental status, and body condition were evaluated.

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Skin pigmentation and coat pigmentation are two of the best-studied examples of traits under natural selection given their quantifiable fitness interactions with the environment (e.g., camouflage) and signalling with other organisms (e.

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A redescription, with a discussion of new features and illustrations, for all life stages is presented for the parasitic mite Periglischrus herrerai Machado-Allison associated with the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus (Geoffoy), including a description of the heteromorphic female and the first description of its female deutonymph. In addition, the morphological variation of P. herrerai is evaluated by morphometric analysis of the adults, concluding that there is an evident geographic variation throughout the neotropics.

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Rickettsia felis is an emergent pathogen and the causative agent of a typhus-like rickettsiosis in the Americas. Its transmission cycle involves fleas as biological vectors (mainly Ctenocephalides felis) and multiple domestic and synanthropic mammal hosts. Nonetheless, the role of mammals in the cycle of R.

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The Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. Visual detection of such parasite through microscopic inspection is a tedious and time-consuming task. In this paper, we provide an AdaBoost learning solution to the task of Chagas parasite detection in blood images.

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Chagas disease is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) and currently affecting large portions of the Americas. One of the standard laboratory methods to determine the presence of the parasite is by direct visualization in blood smears stained with some colorant.

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The prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs and factors associated were studied in a rural community of Yucatan (southern Mexico), with special attention to those gastrointestinal parasites potentially transmitted to man. One hundred thirty dogs from 91 households were studied. Fecal samples were processed by the centrifugation-flotation and the McMaster techniques.

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In most countries, Chagas disease transmission control remains based on domestic insecticide application. We thus evaluated the efficacy of intra-domicile cyfluthrin spraying for the control of Triatoma dimidiata, the only Chagas disease vector in the Yucatán peninsula, Mexico, and monitored potential re-infestation every 15 days for up to 9 months. We found that there was a re-infestation of houses by adult bugs starting 4 months after insecticide application, possibly from sylvatic/peridomicile areas.

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Chagas disease represents a major public health concern in most of Latin America, and its control is currently based on vector control and blood bank screening. We investigated the geographic distribution and seasonal variations in triatomine populations in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico to obtain entomologic data for the optimization of potential control programs. We collected domiciliated and peri-domiciliated Triatoma dimidiata from 115 houses in 23 villages distributed throughout most of the peninsula.

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In México, the role of mammals in the transmission cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi is poorly known. In the State of Yucatán, an endemic area of Chagas disease, both Didelphis virginiana and D. marsupialis occur sympatrically.

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The presence of Salmonella enterica and serologic evidence of infection by Leptospira interrogans, were detected in the opossum Didelphis virginiana in a semi-urban locality of the Yucatán State, México. Ninety-one opossums were captured during the period April 1996 and May 1998. From a total of 17 feces samples, four Salmonella enterica subsp.

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