Marco Torres-Castro

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Verified

Marco verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• MVD, MSc, DrSc
• Professor (Associate) at Autonomous University of Yucatán

Background. Bats are associated with the emergence and reemergence of pathogenic microorganisms that cause diseases important to public or animal health. Therefore, research is conducted worldwide with these mammals to understand their role in the transmission cycles of pathogens. Most studies are conducted on viruses; however, studies on other pat...

En el presente artículo se exponen las principales características de los Arbovirus (Dengue, Zika y Chikungunya) más importantes a nivel mundial debido a que han generado brotes y epidemias. Estos virus tienen una amplia distribución en varios países de América, incluyendo México, donde son transmitidos en zonas urbanizadas y rurales por mosquitos...

Members of the subgenus Herpetosoma are specialized parasites of mammals of the order Lagomorpha and Rodentia. It is estimated that around 50 species within this subgenus are transmitted by several flea species. These parasites have recently gained attention from a public health perspective because several species have been reported to infect human...

Los SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 y otros virus relacionados con SARS-CoV del subgénero Sarbecovirus son de interés en salud pública debido a su potencial zoonótico. En América, el estudio de Sarbecovirus en murciélagos es limitado. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo la búsqueda de este subgénero viral en murciélagos de Yucatán, sureste de México. Se realiza...

This paper aims to report the ingestion of Ixodes keiransi by Peromyscus yucatanicus. Fragments of two ticks (larvae) were collected from the intestinal content of a P. yucatanicus captured in Yucatan, Mexico. DNA was obtained from both specimens, and a fragment of 400 bp of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced. Bioinformatics analyses wer...

Flavivirus (family Flaviviridae) and Alphavirus (family Togaviridae) are mosquito-borne viruses that poses a significant risk to public health worldwide. Examples of these viruses include Dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Flavivirus genus, and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in the Alphavirus genus. The potential contribution of bats in th...

The occurrence of Leptospira 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 Lepto...

The occurrence of Leptospira 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 Lepto...

La rabia es una zoonosis desatendida ocasionada por el virus rabia (RABV) que se encuentra en el orden Mononegavirales, familia Rhabdoviridae, género Lyssavirus, especie Rabies lyssavirus. Esta enfermedad se caracteriza por una inflamación aguda y progresiva de las estructuras y órganos del sistema nervioso central, principalmente el encéfalo. Los...

Message from the Guest Editors; Zoonotic Pathogens in the Tropics: From the Forest to the Cities; Pathogens

The monthly fluctuation of adult Ixodes keiransi in dogs from two cattle farms in southeastern Mexico was determined. In ranch 1 (R1), 6–7 mixed breed dogs from six months to five years of age; while in ranch 2 (R2), 7–8 mixed breed dogs from one to four years of age, were followed. All dogs were monthly inspected for tick infestation through one y...

SARS-like coronaviruses (SL-CoV) have been identi ed in bats globally and are of signi cant public health interest due to their potential to cause new epidemics and pandemics. However, their presence in the Americas remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to conduct surveillance for SL-CoV in bats from the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Bat sampli...

Los pequeños roedores son los reservorios naturales más importantes de especies patógenas de Leptospira spp. En Yucatán, México, varias especies de estos pequeños roedores han sido descritas como portadores. Se reconoce que, para disminuir el riesgo de transmisión de Leptospira spp. a los hospederos susceptibles, entre ellos los seres humanos, es r...

American trypanosomiasis is a disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and affects approximately 6 million people in the Americas. Commensal rodents are a food source for the vector and potential reservoirs of T. cruzi. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of T. cruzi in commensal rodents that inhabit the rural town o...

Rickettsioses caused by the spotted fever group (SFG) and typhus group (TG) are endemic in southeastern Mexico. Dogs and rodents can host several species of these bacteria, but little is known about the epidemiological factors that in uence the infection risk in these mammals. This study aims to identify the frequency of Rickettsia SFG and TG infec...

Antecedentes: Las rickettsiosis son zoonosis ocasionadas por bacterias patógenas del género Rickettsia que se transmiten por la picadura de garrapatas y ácaros hematófagos, o por la inoculación en la piel o las mucosas de heces contaminadas con las bacterias de piojos o pulgas. En México, estas enfermedades son un problema de salud pública, princip...

Bats are one of the groups of mammals with the highest number of associated Trypanosoma taxa. There are 50 Trypanosoma species and genotypes infecting more than 75 species of bats across five continents. However, in Mexico, the inventory of species of the genus Trypanosoma associated with bats is limited to only two species (Trypanosoma vespertilio...

This study aims to describe the natural Leptospira occurrence in small mammals from Yucatan, Mexico, and to explore the relation between the characteristics of the capture sites and the Leptospira occurrence. Bats and rodents were captured in five areas of Yucatan state, and from them, a kidney fragment was collected that was used in the genomic DN...

El objetivo de este trabajo es describir las características epidemiológicas más representativas de R. parkeri y el compendio de registros recientes en artrópodos (vectores), mamíferos y personas en México.

In this survey, we inventoried the helminths of heteromyid and cricetid rodents captured in the Yucatan Peninsula from 2017 to 2019. Helminths were identified using morphological techniques (clearing, staining, and scanning electron microscopy). Also, the 28S rRNA gene of individuals from several helminth taxa was successfully amplified and sequenc...

El objetivo del este trabajo es describir los antecedentes del enfoque “Una Salud”, las definiciones más empleadas y algunos de los desafíos actuales más importantes.

El objetivo del presente trabajo es describir las características morfológicas y biológicas de H. taeniaeformis y destacar sus registros en roedores en Yucatán y posibles implicaciones para la salud de las mascotas.

Los registros de Leptospira spp. en murciélagos de México son escasos. Se conoce que varias especies de murciélagos son hospedadores de leptospiras patógenas, por lo que participan en el ciclo epidemiológico y pueden generar escenarios de transmisión hacia personas y animales. El objetivo fue detectar ADN de Leptospira spp. en murciélagos capturado...

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of American trypanosomiasis, and Leishmania spp., the causal agents of Leishmaniasis, are prevalent in more than 20 American countries, including Mexico. Dogs have been reported as incidental hosts for both parasites and may be helpful as transmission sentinels. We surveyed the dog population in a rural locality...

Rickettsia parkeri belongs to the spotted fever group (SFG) of the Rickettsia genus. This bacterium causes mild rickettsiosis in humans and is mainly transmitted by Amblyomma ticks. Its medical importance is emerging in the Americas, including Mexico. Synanthropic rodents and domiciled dogs participate as accidental hosts in epidemiological cycles...

This paper aims to describe the natural infection with Dirofilaria immitis in Nasua narica (white-nosed coati) from Yucatán, Mexico. Two carcasses of N. narica were collected on a highway that crosses through a dense forest with patches used for agriculture and livestock activities. We performed necropsies, and two female adult nematode parasites f...

La garrapata café del perro Rhipicephalus sanguineus, se encuentra ampliamente distribuida a nivel mundial y en México se reporta su presencia en 24 estados del país. En perros produce lesiones en la piel y es vector biológico de agentes patógenos que pueden afectar a los perros, otros animales y al humano. El control de esta especie de garrapata s...

El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar distintos aspectos epidemiológicos de la rabia y destacar las medidas de prevención y control de esta enfermedad zoonótica reemergente en México.

Cattle raising is the most important livestock activity in Mexico, highlighting the fact that the Country is eight place worldwide in the production of bovine meat. However, cattle can be affected by leptospirosis (a bacterial disease caused by 17 species of spirochetes of the genus Leptospira), which cause reproductive problems that translate into...

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...

El loxoscelismo es ocasionado cuando el veneno dermonecrótico producido por las arañas del género Loxosceles, conocidas como “arañas violinistas”, ingresa al organismo de una persona a través de su mordida. En México ocurre un subregistro de los casos de loxoscelismo por la ausencia de pruebas de laboratorio para su diagnóstico y la dificultad del...

Loxoscelism occurs when the dermonecrotic venom produced by spiders of the genus Loxosceles, known as "violin spiders, " enters a person's organism through their bite. In Mexico there is an underreporting of loxoscelism cases due to the absence of laboratory tests for its diagnosis and the complexity of the clinical picture. The aim of this paper i...

Helminth species of Neotropical bats are poorly known. In Mexico, few studies have been conducted on helminths of bats, especially in regions such as the Yucatan Peninsula where Chiroptera is the mammalian order with the greatest number of species. In this study, we characterized morphologically and molecularly the helminth species of bats and expl...

Simple Summary Rickettsioses are relevant emergent and reemergent zoonoses in the Americas, including Mexico. Murine typhus caused by typhus group (TG) Rickettsia is prevalent in humans and their companion animals, such as dogs. This study found that 23.9% of the dogs (34/142) were infected by TG Rickettsia in Maxcanú, Yucatan (southeastern Mexico)...

El objetivo del presente trabajo es realizar una breve descripción del primer caso registrado a nivel mundial de la transmisión del MPVX de una persona infectada hacia un perro y mencionar las recomendaciones establecidas por las autoridades sanitarias para el cuidado de las mascotas.

Las bacterias espiroquetas Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) y Leptospira spp. ocasionan la borreliosis de Lyme y leptospirosis, respectivamente, ambas enfermedades zoonóticas de importancia en salud pública. En sus respectivos ciclos epidemiológicos, los pequeños roedores son hospedadores accidentales y reservorios naturales de estas bacteria...

El objetivo del presente estudio fue detectar ADN de Toxoplasma gondii en muestras de músculo esquelético y de riñón recolectados de pequeños roedores silvestres, capturados en 10 localidades de la península de Yucatán, México (estados de Campeche, Quintana Roo y Yucatán) en 2018-2019. Se capturaron 127 roedores pertenecientes a siete especies. A t...

The genus Rickettsia encompasses several species grouped in two main clusters, the Typhus and the Transitional group. The latter group contains Rickettsia felis, an endosymbiont of several arthropods with an uncertain human pathogenicity and whose most efficient transmission mechanism described so far is transovarial. The aim of this study was to e...

BIOinfografía publicada en la revista Bioagrociencias

El objetivo del presente trabajo es presentar un análisis de los reportes de infección por SARS-CoV-2 en roedores y sobre sus posibles implicaciones en la transmisión hacia los seres humanos.

El objetivo del presente trabajo es presentar una breve descripción de las características del SARS-CoV-2, así como mencionar algunos reportes alrededor del mundo sobre la infección de este virus en perros domésticos.

Es un virus zoonótico (transmisible de animales a seres humanos) que circula en aves (reservorio natural) y es transmitido por la picadura de mosquitos (vectores). Pertenece al género Flavivirus, el cual engloba otros virus como dengue, fiebre amarilla y zika.

Trypanosoma cruzi es el agente causal de la enfermedad de Chagas, también conocida como tripanosomiasis americana. Esta enfermedad es importante por la cantidad elevada de personas que la sufren, la cual según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) asciende hasta los 8 millones. La mayor parte de ellas vive en alguno de los países de América Lat...

Human tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by Rickettsia africae, Rickettsia massiliae, Rickettsia parkeri, Rickettsia philipi, and Rickettsia rickettsii in the American continent. Rickettsia parkeri represents the second most important agent of eschar-associated spotted fever throughout the American continent. In Mexico, the presence of three strai...

The tayra Eira barbara is a Neotropical mustelid considered as an endangered species by Mexican environmental authorities. Despite the considerable information available on the biology and ecology of E. barbara, little is known about its helminth fauna. Here, we provided new records of nematodes from a road-killed tayra in Calakmul, Campeche, Mexic...

After the tropical storm Cristobal, we performed special adult entomological collections in the peri-domicile of 35 houses from 25 neighborhoods of Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico in response to complaints from the community about an increased nuisance due to an abundance of mosquitoes. A total of 1,275 specimens from four genera and 13 species were collec...

Objetivo. Determinar la circulación del virus del Oeste del Nilo (VON) en caballos del oriente de Yucatán, México. Materiales y métodos. Por conveniencia se estudiaron 184 caballos localizados en 23 unidades de producción de los municipios de Tizimín y Panabá, Yucatán. De cada caballo se obtuvo una muestra de suero sanguíneo, la cual fue evaluada c...

Objective. To determine the circulation of West Nile virus (WNV) in horses from the eastern Yucatán, Mexico. Materials and Methods. For convenience, 184 horses from 23 production units in the municipalities of Tizimín and Panabá, Yucatán, were studied. A blood serum sample was obtained from each studied horse and evaluated with an immunoglobulin M...

The Rhipicephalus sanguineus group encompasses at least 12 validated species of Palearctic and Afrotropical hard ticks, which are relevant in veterinary medicine and public health. The taxonomy of R. sanguineus s.s., has been particularly intensely debated, due to its wide geographic distribution, morphological variants, parasite-host associations,...

Introducción. Las especies patógenas del género Leptospira ocasionan la leptospirosis en seres humanos y animales susceptibles. Los roedores son los reservorios naturales de estas bacterias; otros animales silvestres son hospederos accidentales. Las musarañas han sido involucradas en el ciclo de transmisión de este patógeno en varios países; sin em...

Introducción. Los murciélagos han sido reportados como hospederos del protozoario Trypanosoma cruzi, agente etiológico de la tripanosomiasis americana, enfermedad zoonótica endémica en México. Objetivo. Describir la infección con T. cruzi en murciélagos capturados en los estados de Campeche y Yucatán, México. Materiales y métodos. Se realizaron cap...

Infections with viruses of the Flavivirus genus were explored in 22 bats (Artibeus jamaicensis) from Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. The detection of the viral genus was performed by RT‐PCR, and infections with dengue (DENV 1–4), West Nile (WNV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses were subsequently explored. Sequences from positive products were analysed using the BL...

Objetivo. Evidenciar la circulación de Leptospira spp. en sangre de perros de una comunidad rural del estado de Yucatán, México. Materiales y métodos. Se recolectaron muestras sanguíneas en 120 perros de Maxcanú, Yucatán. Además, se registraron características como sexo, edad, raza y se preguntó a los dueños sobre el historial de vacunas. Las muest...

Objective. To assess the frequency of Leptospira spp. in blood of dogs in a rural community in the state of Yucatan, Mexico. Materials and methods. Blood samples were collected from 120 dogs from Maxcanú, Yucatan. Characteristics such as sex, age, and breed were recorded, and owners were asked about the vaccination history. The samples were transpo...

Introducción. El programa de enfermedades transmitidas por vectores en México tiene una red establecida de ovitrampas para la vigilancia entomológica de Aedes spp. Los Servicios de Salud del estado de Yucatán, en respuesta a reportes de Aedes albopictus en la periferia de Mérida, capital del estado, incrementaron la especificidad de dicha vigilanci...

The genus Rickettsia encompasses 35 valid species of intracellular, coccobacilli bacteria that can infect several eukaryotic taxa, causing multiple emerging and re-emerging diseases worldwide. This work aimed to gather and summarise the current knowledge about the genus Rickettsia in Mexico, updating the taxonomy of the bacteria and their hosts by...

Surveys on parasites of bats from the Americas have been conducted, but information on helminths is still scarce, especially in the Neotropical region. In Mexico, there are species of bats that lack of a record for helminth species, such as members of the family Noctilionidae. The present study describes for the first time the helminths of Noctilio...

Background. Micromammals are reservoirs of zoonotic parasites such as viruses, bacteria, protozoans and helminths. Objective. To present a review of the published literature on the study of zoonotic (or potential zoonotic) parasites of micromammals in the Yucatan Peninsula (PYU), Mexico, conducted by research groups of the Campus de Ciencias Biológ...

Describir la infección con T. gondii en murciélagos capturados en sitios de Campeche y Yucatán, México.

The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiological factors associated with the risks of recent Rickettsia exposure in inhabitants of a rural population from Yucatán, Mexico. The study included 130vinhabitants from Maxcanú, Yucatán. Blood samples were collected to detect IgM and IgG antibodies against Rickettsia typhi and R. rickettsii by an i...

Objetivo. Reportar la infección con Leptospira en riñones de murciélagos de Campeche y Yucatán, México, a través de la amplificación por PCR de dos fragmentos distintos del gen 16S RNA ribosomal. Materiales y métodos. Se realizaron capturas en un sitio de Campeche y dos de Yucatán. A los murciélagos capturados se les aplicó la eutanasia y se les re...

Objective. To report the infection with Leptospira in the kidneys of bats from Campeche and Yucatán, Mexico, through the amplification by PCR of two different 16S RNA ribosomal gene fragments. Materials and methods. Bat captures were carried out at one site in Campeche and two sites in Yucatán. Euthanasia was applied to the captured bats and a necr...

Introducción. Trypanosoma cruzi es agente causal de la tripanosomiasis americana, enfermedad endémica en México. Los roedores Mus musculus y Rattus rattus son reservorios del parásito, el cual invade fibras cardiacas y desarrolla nidos parasitarios y diversas lesiones. Los estudios histopatológicos en roedores naturalmente infectados son escasos. O...

Cysticercus fasciolaris is the larval stage of Taenia taeniaeformis, a parasite that predominantly affects felines. It, however, has zoonotic significance since humans can be accidental hosts. Rodents and lagomorphs act as Intermediate hosts in this parasite’s life cycle. The aim of this study was to determine the natural occurrence of infection by...

Toxoplasma gondii es un protozoario parásito reconocido como el agente causal de la toxoplasmosis, enfermedad zoonótica que afecta a humanos y animales domésticos o silvestres. En México, representa un problema de salud pública y veterinaria, sobre todo en regiones con climas tropicales y subtropicales. Los murciélagos han sido identificados como h...

Introducción. Las bacterias del género Rickettsia son agentes causales de las rickettsiosis, enfermedades zoonóticas transmitidas por ectoparásitos. En Yucatán, ocurrió un brote en habitantes de Bolmay, Valladolid; sin embargo, no se identificó el probable artrópodo vector. Objetivo. Analizar la presencia de Rickettsia spp. en garrapatas que infes...

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, recognized as the etiologic agent of toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic endemic disease in several countries, including Mexico. In the Yucatan State of Mexico, Toxoplasma infection has a high impact in both human and domestic animal health. Wild animals can also host zoonotic pathogens such...

Objective. To determine the presence of Rickettsia typhi in synanthropic rodents captured in the rural community of Bolmay, Yucatan, Mexico, an area with history of murine typhus cases. Materials and methods. Thirty Mus musculus, 6 Rattus rattus and 1 Heteromys gaumeri were examined. Total DNA was obtained of rodent’s spleen. The identification of...

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of the Chagas disease, which is endemic in southeastern Mexico and is transmitted by the vector Triatoma dimidiata (triatomide). T. cruzi infect a great variety of domestic and wild mammals; rodents are considered one of the most important reservoirs of the parasite in the transmission...

Introducción. La leptospirosis es una enfermedad zoonótica endémica en México reconocida como un problema de salud pública y veterinaria, ocasionada por bacterias del género Leptospira. Los roedores son los reservorios más relevantes de Leptospira spp., debido a que la bacteria se establece y reproduce en su tejido renal y es excretada a través de...