A. Alonso Aguirre
George Mason University, Environmental Science and Policy, Faculty Member
- Conservation Biology, Veterinary Medicine, Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, Infectious disease epidemiology, Ecology, and 9 moreMarine Biology, Marine Ecology, Wildlife Conservation, Marine Conservation, Environmental Sustainability, Biology, Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Environmental Scienceedit
- Dr. Alonso Aguirre is Chair and Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University... moreDr. Alonso Aguirre is Chair and Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, where he heads a program of collaborative research that focuses on the ecology of wildlife diseases and the links to human health and conservation of biodiversity. He also serves as the Chair of the University IACUC. A veterinarian by training, he received his M.S. and Ph.D. in wildlife biology and protected area management from Colorado State University. His research has been instrumental in revealing the impact of emerging diseases of marine wildlife populations. He cofounded the emerging discipline of conservation medicine and edited both seminal books on the topic. He has published over 160 peer-reviewed papers, books and chapters and has advised governments of several countries in the Americas, Southeast Asia and Western Europe and briefed the Mexican and US Congress.edit
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Research Interests: Communication, Poverty, Political Science, Ecohealth, Global Health, and 15 moreEnvironmental Health, Ecology, International Cooperation, Preventive medicine, Health, Animal Ecology, Public Health, Medicine, Interdisciplinary Studies, Canada, Humans, Food supply, Ecosystem, Conservation of Natural Resources, and interprofessional relations
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20 Wildlife Health, Ecosystems, and Rural Livelihoods in Botswana Michael D. Kock Gary R. Mullins Jeremy S. Perkins B: Botswana ... the govern-ment of Botswana to switch to the more environmentally friendly odor-baited,... more
20 Wildlife Health, Ecosystems, and Rural Livelihoods in Botswana Michael D. Kock Gary R. Mullins Jeremy S. Perkins B: Botswana ... the govern-ment of Botswana to switch to the more environmentally friendly odor-baited, insecticide-impregnated targets (Willemse 1991; Vale ...
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The presence of fibropapilloma and its associated chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) was assessed in 82 wild sea turtles. Olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (n = 58) were caught in the pelagic Area of Marine Influence (AMI) (off the... more
The presence of fibropapilloma and its associated chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) was assessed in 82 wild sea turtles. Olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (n = 58) were caught in the pelagic Area of Marine Influence (AMI) (off the coast of Guasave, Sinaloa), and black turtles Chelonia mydas agassizii (n = 24) were captured in the Navachiste Lagoon System. The apparent physical condition was evaluated as 'good' or 'poor' by physical examination. The population structure and general health status was determined by condition index, hematocrit and total plasma protein. Detection of ChHV5 from skin samples was done by PCR. The overall physical condition of black turtles was good and all the individuals were tumor-free. Likewise, the physical condition of most olive ridley turtles was good, except for 10 individuals with poor condition. Of these, 4 had fibropapilloma-like tumors. PCR analyses showed that 3 tumors were ChHV5-positive. The DNA sequence showed 96% identity with ChHV5. All other skin samples from black or olive ridley turtles were ChHV5-negative. This is the first report of fibropapillomatosis-ChHV5 in foraging grounds off northern Sinaloa. The virus was present in a small proportion of L. olivacea individuals, a free-ranging species. It is suggested that infected turtles acquired the virus at a different location somewhere during their development before arriving in the AMI zone. This finding makes the case for setting up a health monitoring program for turtle populations in the area, enforcing sanitary measures to reduce the spread of the pathogen.
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13 Global Ecological Change and Human Health Jonathan A. Patz Nathan D. Wolfe Environmental changes and ecological disturbances, due to both nat ... with farmland, foxes moved in, serving as a reservoir host for the sandfly, the vector... more
13 Global Ecological Change and Human Health Jonathan A. Patz Nathan D. Wolfe Environmental changes and ecological disturbances, due to both nat ... with farmland, foxes moved in, serving as a reservoir host for the sandfly, the vector for visceral leishmaniasis kala-azar. ...
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BackgroundFew hematologic profiles for free‐ranging amphibians are available. Hematologic evaluation is a useful tool for determining the health of amphibian populations and providing further knowledge for conservation... more
BackgroundFew hematologic profiles for free‐ranging amphibians are available. Hematologic evaluation is a useful tool for determining the health of amphibian populations and providing further knowledge for conservation actions.ObjectivesHematologic variables and the presence and effect of hemoparasites in anuran species were evaluated in Northern Sinaloa, Mexico.MethodsBlood samples were collected from wild anurans of eight species to perform blood cell counts, leukocyte differential counts, and serum protein concentrations using manual methods and refractometry. In addition, morphologic identification and quantification of the hemoparasites were performed on blood smears.ResultsDifferences were observed by sex, age, and season for the hematologic values of Incilius alvarius (n = 23), Incilius mazatlanensis (n = 46), Rhinella horribilis (n = 64), Leptodactylus melanonotus (n = 46), Lithobates forreri (n = 135), Lithobates catesbeianus (n = 20), Smilisca fodiens (n = 42), and Scaphio...
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The concentrations of trace elements including As, Zn, Cu, Se, Pb, Hg and Cd, were determined in the blood of nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) at Rancho Nuevo sanctuary, Tamaulipas, Mexico during 2018–2020. The... more
The concentrations of trace elements including As, Zn, Cu, Se, Pb, Hg and Cd, were determined in the blood of nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) at Rancho Nuevo sanctuary, Tamaulipas, Mexico during 2018–2020. The sequential concentrations analyzed were Zn> Se> Cu> As> Pb; while Cd and Hg concentrations were below the limits of detection (0.01 μg g-1). No significant differences were observed between the concentrations of trace elements (p> 0.05) by year, except Se levels, possibly resulting from recorded seasonal differences in turtle size. No relationships among turtle size vs elements concentration were observed. In conclusion, essential and toxic trace elements concentrations in the blood of nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles may be a reflex of the ecosystem in which the turtles develop, that is, with low bioavailability of elements observed in the trophic webs in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Sea turtles are reptiles that have inhabited the earth for 100 million years. These are divided into 2 families (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) and 7 species of sea turtles in the world: the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea);... more
Sea turtles are reptiles that have inhabited the earth for 100 million years. These are divided into 2 families (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) and 7 species of sea turtles in the world: the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea); hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata); Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii); olive ridley (L. olivacea); Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta); flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas). In particular, Kemp’s ridley is included in the red list of IUCN categorized as “critically endangered”. The most important site around the Word is in Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Where 80–95% of the world’s nesting is concentrated. Other nesting areas are Tepeguajes and Barra del Tordo, in Tamaulipas, and with less intensity in Veracruz (Lechuguillas and El Raudal beaches) and South Padre Island, Texas, USA. They deposit an average of about 90 eggs and hatching takes 40 to 60 days. Therefore, they are vulnerable to different anthr...
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The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is a circumglobal species and is listed as vulnerable globally. The North Pacific population nests in Japan and migrates to the Central North Pacific and Pacific coast of North America to feed. In... more
The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is a circumglobal species and is listed as vulnerable globally. The North Pacific population nests in Japan and migrates to the Central North Pacific and Pacific coast of North America to feed. In the Mexican Pacific, records of loggerhead presence are largely restricted to the Gulf of Ulloa along the Baja California Peninsula, where very high fisheries by-catch mortality has been reported. Records of loggerhead turtles within the Sea of Cortez also known as the Gulf of California (GC) exist; however, their ecology in this region is poorly understood. We used satellite tracking and an environmental variable analysis (chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and sea surface temperature (SST)) to determine movements and habitat use of five juvenile loggerhead turtles ranging in straight carapace length from 62.7–68.3 cm (mean: 66.7 ± 2.3 cm). Satellite tracking durations ranged from 73–293 days (mean: 149 ± 62.5 days), transmissions per turtle from 14–1006 (mean: ...
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Catadromous eels are found in more habitats than any other fish and are capable of inhabiting marine, brackish and freshwater environments. In this study we used the American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) as a bioindicator organism to create a... more
Catadromous eels are found in more habitats than any other fish and are capable of inhabiting marine, brackish and freshwater environments. In this study we used the American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) as a bioindicator organism to create a novel method of using spatial analysis to study species conservation over landscape scales. We built a model of the subwatersheds of the Chesapeake Bay using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and overlaid eel density data (> 1 million eels sampled), dam density data and land use in ArcGIS. Dam construction in the study area peaked between 1955 and 1975, possibly as a result of flood control measures. Effects of land use were localized and most pronounced in areas around Baltimore, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, USA. Results indicate the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers appear to be areas of lesser concern while the upper James and York rivers are ideal for follow-up studies, since these area rank poorly in both eel density and ba...
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Research Interests: Microbiology, Biology, Ecology, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, and 8 moreBCI, Foraging, Population, Fur Seal, PLoS one, Sea Turtle, PCV, and Hematocrit
We engaged pet salamander owners in the United States to screen their animals for two amphibian chytrid fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal). We provided pet owners with a sampling kit and... more
We engaged pet salamander owners in the United States to screen their animals for two amphibian chytrid fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal). We provided pet owners with a sampling kit and instructional video to swab the skin of their animals. We received 639 salamander samples from 65 species by mail, and tested them for Bd and Bsal using qPCR. We detected Bd on 1.3% of salamanders (95% CI 0.0053-0.0267) and did not detect Bsal (95% CI 0.0000-0.0071). If Bsal is present in the U.S. population of pet salamanders, it occurs at a very low prevalence. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed 201 species of salamanders as "injurious wildlife" under the Lacey Act (18 U.S.C. § 42) on January 28, 2016, a precautionary action to prevent the introduction of Bsal to the U.S. through the importation of salamanders. This action reduced the number of salamanders imported to the U.S. from 2015 to 2016 by 98.4%. Our results indicat...
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In Mexico, studies on bats have reported the presence of eight families and a total of 140 species, of which seven families and 55 species are reported for the state of Sinaloa. However, the Sierra de Navachiste, México is a natural... more
In Mexico, studies on bats have reported the presence of eight families and a total of 140 species, of which seven families and 55 species are reported for the state of Sinaloa. However, the Sierra de Navachiste, México is a natural protected area of state jurisdiction registered as an area subject to Ecological Conservation. studies on bat populations in this area are scarce or nonexistent, resulting in their environmental needs, current threats and the impact they have at population level being unknown. Despite finding a low species richness (five species), the migratory species Leptonycteris yerbabuenae was caught in Sierra de Navachiste. This bat is included on the IUCN red list (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) as a "vulnerable" species, and in Mexico it is listed as "Special protection" species. This bat is considered a keystone mutualist within the ecosystem due to its function as pollinator of the dominant columnar cacti and spreading i...
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Research Interests: Business, Ecohealth, Global Health, Ecology, Agriculture, and 15 moreAnimal Ecology, Public Health, Environmental Planning, Capacity Building, Surveillance, Medicine, Environmental Resource Management, Livestock, Animals, One Health, Public health systems and services research, Internationality, Cooperative Behavior, Public Policy, and Population surveillance
A nuclear leakage or tactical nuclear weapon use in a limited war could cause immense and long-lasting ecological consequences beyond the direct site of exposure. We call upon all scientists to communicate the importance of the... more
A nuclear leakage or tactical nuclear weapon use in a limited war could cause immense and long-lasting ecological consequences beyond the direct site of exposure. We call upon all scientists to communicate the importance of the environmental impacts of such an event to all life forms on Earth, including humankind. Changes to ecosystem structure and functioning and species extinctions would alter the biosphere for an unknown time frame. Radiation could trigger cascade effects in marine, atmospheric and terrestrial ecosystems of a magnitude far beyond human capabilities for mitigation or adaptation. Even a “tactical nuclear war” could alter planet Earth’s living boundaries, ending the current Anthropocene era.
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Technological and analytical advances to study evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are realized through molecular approaches including DNA barcoding. We characterized the usefulness of COI DNA... more
Technological and analytical advances to study evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are realized through molecular approaches including DNA barcoding. We characterized the usefulness of COI DNA barcodes in green turtles in Mexico to better understand genetic divergence and other genetic parameters of this species. We analyzed 63 sequences, including 25 from green turtle field specimens collected from the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mexican Pacific and 38 already present in the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD). A total of 13 haplotypes were identified with four novel haplotypes from the Pacific Ocean and three novel haplotypes from the Atlantic Ocean. Intraspecific distance values among COI gene sequences by two different models were 0.01, demonstrating that there is not a subdivision for green turtle species. Otherwise, the interspecific distance interval ranged from 0.07 to 0.13, supporting a clear subdivision among all sea turtle spe...
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The concentrations of heavy metals and metalloids including As, Zn, Cu, Se, Pb, Hg and Cd, were determined in the blood of nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) at Rancho Nuevo sanctuary, Tamaulipas, Mexico during 2018-2020.... more
The concentrations of heavy metals and metalloids including As, Zn, Cu, Se, Pb, Hg and Cd, were determined in the blood of nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) at Rancho Nuevo sanctuary, Tamaulipas, Mexico during 2018-2020. The sequential concentrations of metals analyzed were Zn> Se> Cu> As> Pb; while Cd and Hg concentrations were below the limits of detection (0.01 µg g−1). No significant differences were observed between the concentrations of metals (p> 0.05) by year, except Se levels, possibly resulting from recorded seasonal differences in turtle size. No relationships among turtle size vs metal concentration were observed. In conclusion, heavy metals concentrations in the blood of nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles may be a reflex of the ecosystem in which the turtles develop, that is, with low bioavailability of metals observed in the trophic webs in the Gulf of Mexico.
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General aspects: host and helminth parasites - an evolutionary perspective helminthiases of wildlife - medical aspects chemotherapy. Wildlife management and conservation: wildlife management (an introduction to an evolving science)... more
General aspects: host and helminth parasites - an evolutionary perspective helminthiases of wildlife - medical aspects chemotherapy. Wildlife management and conservation: wildlife management (an introduction to an evolving science) helminth diseases and wildlife conservation. Wildlife helminths - geographical perspectives: North America Mexico, Central and South America Europe Russia China Japan Indian Subcontinent Africa Australia New Zealand summary list of mammalian hosts helminths.
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One hundred new COI sequences of nesting female Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) were obtained in the Rancho Nuevo Sanctuary (RNS). The COI sequences were analyzed and contrasted with others retrieved from BOLD and GenBank with... more
One hundred new COI sequences of nesting female Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) were obtained in the Rancho Nuevo Sanctuary (RNS). The COI sequences were analyzed and contrasted with others retrieved from BOLD and GenBank with the aim of investigating genetic variability, genetic divergence, and haplotypes of the nesting female population at RNS. Four new COI haplotypes for Kemp’s ridley were described; two are redundant with (LK-RN01) 97 and (LK-COI-01) 17 specimens belonging to the RNS and other localities, respectively. Nucleotide (0.00052) and haplotype (0.303) diversity showed low and conserved COI values The fixation index (FST) between these main redundant haplotypes showed a high degree of differentiation with ~1. Genetic divergence demonstrated clearly two different Kemp’s ridley nesting populations, one from RNS and a second outside Mexico. Phylogenetic COI analysis was useful to differentiate these redundant (LK-COI-01 and RNS LK-RN01) haplotypes and, therefor...
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Land-use change has a direct impact on species survival and reproduction, altering their spatio-temporal distributions. It acts as a selective force that favours the abundance and diversity of reservoir hosts and affects host–pathogen... more
Land-use change has a direct impact on species survival and reproduction, altering their spatio-temporal distributions. It acts as a selective force that favours the abundance and diversity of reservoir hosts and affects host–pathogen dynamics and prevalence. This has led to land-use change being a significant driver of infectious diseases emergence. Here, we predict the presence of rodent taxa and map the zoonotic hazard (potential sources of harm) from rodent-borne diseases in the short and long term (2025 and 2050). The study considers three different land-use scenarios based on the shared socioeconomic pathways narratives (SSPs): sustainable (SSP1-RCP 2.6), fossil-fuelled development (SSP5-RCP 8.5) and deepening inequality (SSP4-RCP 6.0). We found that cropland expansion into forest and pasture may increase zoonotic hazards in areas with high rodent-species diversity. Nevertheless, a future sustainable scenario may not always reduce hazards. All scenarios presented high heteroge...
Appendix S1 with additional details on data and methods and Appendix S2 including additional results
<br>Code to recreate analyses from:<br>&gt; Dallas,TA, A Alonso Aguirre, S Budischak, C Carlson, V Ezenwa, B Han, S Huang, and PR Stephens 2018. Gauging support for macroecological patterns in helminth parasites. <br>
Trace metals have been found in sea turtle blood and tissues and may represent a threat to these endangered species. Essential trace metal (Cu, Zn Cd, Pb, As, and Hg) concentrations were determined in blood of adult female, post-nesting... more
Trace metals have been found in sea turtle blood and tissues and may represent a threat to these endangered species. Essential trace metal (Cu, Zn Cd, Pb, As, and Hg) concentrations were determined in blood of adult female, post-nesting olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (n = 35) on Ceuta beach, Sinaloa, Mexico. Essential metals (Zn and Cu) analyzed were found in higher concentrations than toxic metals (Cd and Pb), while As and Hg concentrations were below the limits of detection (0.01 μg g-1). Low Pb concentrations (0.09 μg g-1) were previously observed in sea turtles in the Gulf of California. There were no significant correlations found between curved carapace length (61.00–71.00 ± 2.29) vs metal concentrations (p > 0.05). Cd levels were relatively high when compared to other species and populations of sea turtles worldwide and Cd may represent the greatest risk for sea turtles in the Mexican Pacific. Such concentrations of Cd may pose a further risk to sea turtles through bioaccumulation from the nesting female to offspring which may affect embryo development.
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Simple Summary Wildlife is trafficked illegally across the globe every day. The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) creates opportunity for emerging infectious disease (EID) events to occur. EIDs are a major threat to wildlife, ecosystems, and... more
Simple Summary Wildlife is trafficked illegally across the globe every day. The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) creates opportunity for emerging infectious disease (EID) events to occur. EIDs are a major threat to wildlife, ecosystems, and public health. This study addresses the lack of comprehensive review of pathogens identified in IWT and highlights the expansion of literature on this subject over the past 30 years. We reviewed 82 scientific papers and conference proceedings from 1990 to 2020. Trends in EIDs identified in IWT have significantly increased over the past decade. Cases covered 240 pathogens across all taxa. Approximately 60% of the pathogens identified were zoonotic (transmissible between animals and humans) and threaten public health. Based on our findings, we recommend further research is needed to monitor and prevent the IWT. Abstract Emerging infectious disease (EID) events can be traced to anthropogenic factors, including the movement of wildlife through legal and ...
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Marine turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a devastating neoplastic disease characterized by single or multiple cutaneous and visceral fibrovascular tumors. Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) has been identified as the most likely... more
Marine turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a devastating neoplastic disease characterized by single or multiple cutaneous and visceral fibrovascular tumors. Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) has been identified as the most likely etiologic agent. From 2010 to 2013, the presence of ChHV5 DNA was determined in apparently normal skin, tumors and swab samples (ocular, nasal and cloacal) collected from 114 olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) and 101 green (Chelonia mydas) turtles, with and without FP tumors, on the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. For nesting olive ridley turtles from Costa Rica without FP, 13.5% were found to be positive for ChHV5 DNA in at least one sample, while in Nicaragua, all olive ridley turtles had FP tumors, and 77.5% tested positive for ChHV5 DNA. For green turtles without FP, 19.8% were found to be positive for ChHV5 DNA in at least one of the samples. In turtles without FP tumors, ChHV5 DNA was detected more readily in skin biopsies than swabs. ...