The Development of Disease Ecology as a Science in Latin America and the Caribbean

The rise of disease ecology as a discipline in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is relatively new. Several researchers have contributed to the development of this emerging field over the last 30 years. Although isolated in several silos, disciplines such as epidemiology, virology, entomological epidemiology, parasite ecology, mathematical modeling, ecology, biogeography, and evolution, among others, have in some way brought novel insights and paved the way for this emerging discipline worldwide and in LAC. In this chapter, we performed a literature review to identify how the discipline has developed in LAC, and we identified collaborations, networks, and primary institutions that have significantly contributed to this discipline. The work on disease ecology in LAC has been increasing in recent years, but this growth has not been uniformly distributed, where some countries, such as Brazil and Mexico, have developed more research and have built capacity separately in recent years. We are still at an early stage in the development of disease ecology. Much research has been published in local journals, and many pathogens have been identified in wildlife, but few studies have focused on more complex ecological aspects. We call for more collaboration among LAC countries, which can improve research in some research-poor countries and strengthen the region’s research capacity.