Disease Ecology in Terrestrial Reptiles from Latin America: A Call for Research

Latin America comprises continental and insular lands from Mexico to Argentina, including Caribbean islands and the Galapagos archipelago. Population declines due to anthropogenic causes such as habitat fragmentation, pollution, invasive species, and global climate change are affecting reptile populations, but there is almost no information about how diseases may affect wild reptiles, and there are few reports on this topic. Most of the studies regarding infectious diseases have been performed in captive animals with mainly known diseases. These studies are important since the legal and illegal trade of reptiles is a constant threat and a massive problem in the region, and potential transmission to wild animals is always a concern. Despite these approaches, studies involving disease ecology are scarce, and most of the research done in reptile health focuses mostly on parasite identification and clinical pathology. This chapter explores the research done on captive animals as a preliminary and important source of information that can be extrapolated to wildlife studies as well as the threat that the reptile trade imposes on wild animals. Finally, the authors propose some urgent studies that have to be done in terms of disease ecology considering the evaluated aspects before.