title: Pathogenic Landscape of Transboundary Zoonotic Diseases in the Mexico-US Border Along the Rio Grande.
abstract: Transboundary zoonotic diseases, several of which are vector borne, can maintain a dynamic focus and have pathogens circulating in geographic regions encircling multiple geopolitical boundaries. Global change is intensifying transboundary problems, including the spatial variation of the risk and incidence of zoonotic diseases. The complexity of these challenges can be greater in areas where rivers delineate international boundaries and encompass transitions between ecozones. The Rio Grande serves as a natural border between the US State of Texas and the Mexican States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. Not only do millions of people live in this transboundary region, but also a substantial amount of goods and people pass through it everyday. Moreover, it occurs over a region that functions as a corridor for animal migrations, and thus links the Neotropic and Nearctic biogeographic zones, with the latter being a known foci of zoonotic diseases. However, the pathogenic landscape of important zoonotic diseases in the south Texas-Mexico transboundary region remains to be fully understood. An international perspective on the interplay between disease systems, ecosystem processes, land use, and human behaviors is applied here to analyze landscape and spatial features of Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Hantavirus disease, Lyme Borreliosis, Leptospirosis, Bartonellosis, Chagas disease, human Babesiosis, and Leishmaniasis. Surveillance systems following the One Health approach with a regional perspective will help identifying opportunities to mitigate the health burden of those diseases on human and animal populations. It is proposed that the Mexico-US border along the Rio Grande region be viewed as a continuum landscape where zoonotic pathogens circulate regardless of national borders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University , College Station, TX , USA.
authors.forename: Maria Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Esteve-Gassent
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory , Kerrville, TX , USA.
authors.forename: Adalberto A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Pérez de León
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Veracruzana , Veracruz , México.
authors.forename: Dora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Romero-Salas
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Texas-Pan American , Edinburg, TX , USA.
authors.forename: Teresa P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Feria-Arroyo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Texas-Pan American , Edinburg, TX , USA.
authors.forename: Ramiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Patino
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Science and Engineering, Texas State University , San Marcos, TX , USA.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Castro-Arellano
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Centro Médico Nacional SXXI, IMSS , Distrito Federal , México.
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gordillo-Pérez
authors.affiliation: Environmental Risk Analysis Systems, Policy and Program Development, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture , Riverdale, MD , USA.
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Auclair
authors.affiliation: Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service , Edinburg, TX , USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goolsby
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Cuerpo Académico de Salud Animal, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán , Mérida , México.
authors.forename: Roger Ivan
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Vivas
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria Zootecnia, Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México , Toluca , México.
authors.forename: Jose Guillermo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Estrada-Franco
keywords: Babesia; Chagas; Hantavirus; Leishmania; Lyme borreliosis; VEE; global change; pathogenic landscapes