Neglected Tropical Diseases

Gutierrez B, da Silva Candido D, Bajaj S, Rodriguez Maldonado AP, Ayala FG, Rodriguez MdlLT, et al. (2023) Convergent trends and spatiotemporal patterns of Aedes-borne arboviruses in Mexico and Central America. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 17(9): e0011169. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011169

Mexico is endemic to several Aedes-borne arboviruses relevant to global health, and ranks within the top five countries in the Americas that report the highest case numbers. Our study provides a general overview of arbovirus introduction, spread and establishment patterns in North and Central America, and should be of interest to both local health and global authorities. Moreover, it sets to explore the paradigm of convergence at different scales in independent virus populations, represented by comparable epidemiological and evolutionary trends in Aedes-borne arboviruses sharing ecological niches. Our results represent important advances in the study of mosquito-borne viruses listed as a threat to global health, specifically applied to key countries within the developing world.