CBG monitors Leishmaniasis in migrants

Felisa Guzmán

With the social responsibility and scientific-technological profile that characterizes it, the Center for Genomic Biotechnology (CBG), located in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, directs some of its actions towards monitoring indicator 3, Health and Well-being, of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals issued by the United Nations. It addresses issues affecting vulnerable and minority groups.

In the Laboratory of Molecular Biomedicine (LBM) at this Polytechnic research center, Vector-Borne Diseases (VBD) are studied. These are illnesses caused by parasites, viruses, or bacteria transmitted biologically or mechanically by mosquitoes, ticks, flies, fleas, lice, and triatomines, among other biological vectors.

The scientific contributions of LBM specialists at CBG regarding VBD have had an impact on the control and epidemiological surveillance programs of health authorities in the region and in some other areas of the country.

Recently, Dr. Nadia Angélica Fernández Santos led a study on Leishmaniasis, one of the six most important tropical diseases according to the World Health Organization. It primarily affects impoverished populations in rural or periurban areas.

The specialist emphasized that Leishmaniasis is transmitted by the Lutzomyia vector, and the etiological agent is various species of Leishmania. She pointed out that the most common clinical form is cutaneous, while the visceral type is the most severe and almost always fatal if the patient does not receive timely and appropriate treatment.

Therefore, in collaboration with Dr. Mario Alberto Rodríguez Pérez of CBG and Dr. Ingeborg Becker Fauser of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), they are conducting a serological study of Leishmaniasis in migrants who have traversed the Darien Gap jungle in Panama and are awaiting political asylum in the United States.

Leishmaniasis in Migrants

Like Mexico, Panama is an endemic country for Leishmaniasis, and it is a mandatory passage for migrants traveling by foot from Haiti, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia to the United States. During their journey through the "Tapón del Darién" jungle in Panama, they face the risk of coming into contact with the Lutzomyia fly, which is the vector that transmits the parasite causing the disease, emphasized Fernández Santos.

She added that poor nutrition and emotional stress exacerbate the disease and can lead to more severe lesions. If not addressed in a timely and appropriate manner, the patient may need to be hospitalized for treatment with antiparasitics for two months or longer.

The researcher indicated that timely diagnosis reduces the treatment time and prevents physical impairments in vulnerable and minority groups worldwide. Therefore, the study conducted by LBM focused on identifying cases in migrants passing through the jungle of Panama and temporarily sheltered in the Casa del Migrante and Senda de Vida, both in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

Fernández Santos highlighted that the strategy included the application of surveys on knowledge, practices, and attitudes to carry out educational campaigns on VBDs in general, such as dengue, malaria, or Chagas disease, and specifically on Leishmaniasis.

According to the WHO, Leishmaniasis primarily affects impoverished populations in rural or periurban areas.

Results with Social Impact

With the support of the Tamaulipas Health Secretariat and the National Center for Preventive Programs and Disease Control, CBG's LBM researchers conducted an epidemiological study to determine the prevalence and risk of migrants acquiring Leishmaniasis through blood sample collection.

In the Laboratory of Molecular Biomedicine, blood components were separated, and the sera were sent to the UNAM's Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, where Dr. Adriana Ruiz Remigio conducts enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for Leishmania antibody detection.

The Polytechnic specialist highlighted that several positive cases of the disease were confirmed from tests conducted on migrants from 10 Latin American countries. "These findings provide epidemiological evidence of interest and usefulness for surveillance and combat programs against Leishmaniasis in all interested countries in America to prevent the spread of this scourge of disease on the continent," she emphasized.

Furthermore, she considered the epidemiological follow-up of migrants essential for timely and appropriate treatment, aiming to prevent the spread of various infectious diseases through early and timely diagnosis.

She pointed out that, to date, a study of this nature had not been conducted in a vulnerable minority group, considering a significant sample size and carried out by two sister institutions like IPN and UNAM.

"With these actions, we bring visibility to one of the most vulnerable groups on the planet, at risk of human trafficking, sexual abuse, injuries, discrimination, and xenophobia. There is also family separation and an inability to meet their most basic needs, coupled with the imminent danger due to exposure to different VBDs," she expressed.

Synergy

Collaboration with the Tamaulipas Health Secretariat, particularly with the Epidemiology and Vectors Department, allowed Polytechnic scientists to refer Leishmaniasis patients for medical follow-up and appropriate treatment. Additionally, support was provided in diagnosis and result issuance.

Dr. Fernández Santos added that with the support of researchers Gabriel Hamer and Sarah Hamer from Texas A&M University, affiliated with the Department of Entomology and Integrated Biomedical Sciences, respectively, they aim to link migrant Leishmaniasis cases for them to be attended to in the final destination country in coordination with Dr. Saúl Sepúlveda of the Health Jurisdiction of the Health Secretariat in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

Innovative Science In the Laboratory of Molecular Biomedicine at CBG, under the leadership of Dr. Mario Alberto Rodríguez Pérez and in collaboration with the Autonomous Agrarian University Antonio Narro, Unit Laguna, taxonomic and molecular determination of various important vectors in Mexico is carried out. These include mosquito species from the genera Aedes, Culex, and Anopheles, as well as species of Triatoma and Lutzomyia, Simulids, and hard and soft ticks, among other disease vectors.

Also, with the participation of Dr. José Guillermo Estrada and Dr. Luis Mario Rodríguez Martínez, along with their students José Luis Chavelas Reyes and Carlo Franco Medina Ramírez, molecular diagnostic methods are developed for viruses and parasites causing emerging and re-emerging VBDs.

CBG's LBM has developed innovative methods for the control and/or elimination of VBDs that have been applied and evaluated in laboratory, semi-field, and field settings.

The research results applying these diagnostic, control, and epidemiological surveillance methods for VBDs have been published in internationally circulated journals and have had an impact on the control and epidemiological surveillance programs for VBDs of the Health Secretariat, primarily in Tamaulipas, Chiapas, and Oaxaca.

Thus, this scientific center contributes, within the framework of its substantive functions, to social well-being and contributes to the third indicator on health and well-being of the Sustainable Development Goals by studying neglected or lagging diseases.

The project 20231423, funded by the Secretariat of Research and Graduate Studies of the IPN, also involved the collaboration of specialists Sor Edith G. Garrido-Lozada, Lihua Wei, Miriam Anahí Andrade Reyes, Jesús Alejandro Aguilar Durán, Julissa Patricia Domínguez Osorio and Yadira Lizeth Gómez Rodríguez.

Selección Gaceta Politécnica #168. (November 30th, 2023). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here