As a professor of Parasitology and Invertebrate
Biology at a small, private liberal arts college in the
United States, where I study the transmission ecology
of trematode parasites, to date my research
experience studying helminths in the Neotropical
region has been limited. Of course, many
parasitologists in North America and elsewhere have
relatively limited exposure to neotropical
helminthology beyond textbooks and the primary
literature; however, based on my own experience
over the last year I believe there exists great
opportunity for this to change. The potential for
wonderful and productive collaborations continues
to increase with greater ease of travel and levels of
cooperation and information-sharing. So, while by
definition my own experience in Peru is unique to me,
I hope that it highlights some of the opportunities for
research in helminthology in Peru and thus
encourages additional collaborations in the future.
Certainly the most important part of my experience in
Peru thus far has been the opportunity to interact with
a wide range of researchers and students from
universities as well as non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). One of the important ways
foreign researchers can become involved in Peruvian
helminthology is to take advantage of the growing
number of conferences, symposia and workshops
that are being offered in this region. I was fortunate to
be able to participate in the First Congress of
Helminthology and Associated Invertebrates
(APHIA) International Meeting held in Lima in 2008
at the Universidad Ricardo Palma. From this
meeting, and particularly from my association and
collaboration with Jorge Cárdenas-Callirgos and José
Iannacone, three important (and related)
opportunities have emerged.
There continues to exist a great opportunity in Peru
for research on helminths of humans. Of course, Peru
has a relatively long history of research work that has
been done on many important diseases such as
Fascioliasis, Paragonimiasis, and Cysticercosis in
addition to many of the soil-transmitted helminth
infections which exist in the region. In my experience
there is considerable opportunity for (and interest in)
work on human helminths afflicting people who live
in regions of extreme poverty (Hotez et al., 2008).
With the help of APHIA and Jorge Cárdenas-
Callirgos in particular, I have been able to investigate
potential collaborations with researchers at several
universities in Peru (e.g., Universidad Ricardo
Palma, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia,
Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal and
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos).
Moreover, through my wonderful Peruvian
colleagues we have begun discussions with different
NGOs in order to establish survey- and education-
based research in poor areas surrounding Lima as
well as in the rain forest and Andean regions of Peru.
Some of the organizations in Peru, with which I have
interacted, such as Solidaridad en Marcha and
CREATIO, represent NGOs interested in service-
based opportunities for researchers and students to
become involved in helminthological research in
Peru, among other interests.
Much of the research on helminths in Peru has
focused upon their impact on public health
(Cárdenas-Callirgos & Iannacone, 2008). From my
perspective, possible research opportunities in the
areas of ecological and wildlife parasitology are
nearly as diverse as the rich flora and fauna which
exist in Peru. Very little is known about the parasitic
helminths of most of the possible vertebrate host
species in Peru (where most of the knowledge comes
from various species of fish), and even less is
understood about the patterns of infection and
transmission ecology of larval helminths in
invertebrate hosts, most of which will serve as
intermediate hosts in the life cycles of helminth
parasites. For instance, it is clear from recent work
that knowledge of parasitic helminths can clarify
what we know about ecosystem processes (e.g.,
Neotrop. Helminthol., 3(1), 2009
2009 Asociación Peruana de Helmintología e Invertebrados Afines (APHIA)
EDITORIAL
OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEACH IN HELMINTHOLOGY IN PERU:
MY OWN EXPERIENCE
Eric Wetzel*
Suggested citation: Wetzel, E.J. 2009. Opportunities for research in helminthology in Peru: My own experience.
Neotropical Helminthology. vol. 3, nº 1, pp. 5-6
OPORTUNIDADES DE INVESTIGACIÓN EN HELMINTOLOGÍA EN PERÚ:
MI PROPIA EXPERIENCIA
5
*Correspondence to author/Autor para
correspondencia:
Wetzel Eric, J.
Department of Biology, Wabash College, 301
West Wabash Avenue, Crawfordsville, Indiana
47933, USA.
Correo electrónico/E-mail:
wetzele@wabash.edu
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
Cárdenas-Callirgos, J & Iannacone, J. 2008.
Hotez, PJ, Bottazzi, ME, Franco-Paredes, C, Ault, SK, &
Periago, MR. 2008.
Lafferty, K, Allesina, S, Arim, M, Briggs, CJ, DeLeo, G,
Dobson, AP, Dunne, JA, Johnson, PT, Kuris, AM,
Marcogliese, DJ, Martinez, ND, Memmott, J,
Marquet, PA, McLaughlin, JP, Mordecai, EA,
Pascual, M, Poulin, R, & Thieltges, DW. 2008.
New approach
about neotropical helminthology. Neotropical
Helminthology, vol. 2, n° 2, pp. 42-46.
The Neglected Tropical
Diseases of Latin America and the Caribbean: A
Review of Disease Burden and Distribution and a
Roadmap for Control and Elimination. PLoS
Neglected Tropical Diseases 2(9): e300.
doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000300.
Parasites in food webs: the ultimate missing links.
Ecology Letters, vol. 11, pp. 533-546.
Lafferty et al., 2008); given the amazing biodiversity
which exists in Peru from the coast to the mountains
to the rain forest, there are endless opportunities for
comparative ecological work on any number of
infections. My own experience over this past year
(again, influenced strongly by my association with
new Peruvian colleagues) has opened up possibilities
for work on trematode and fish-helminth
communities in coastal wetlands, rain forest zones,
and the Andean zones. Opportunities abound.
The third important opportunity for research in
helminthology in Peru is an educational one, i.e., in
the education and training of students of
helminthology. In June--July of this past year (2009),
one of my students from Wabash College in Indiana
(USA) spent six weeks in Lima working on a variety
of research projects involving helminths. Several
members of APHIA helped him learn about different
host-parasite systems and he gained valuable
experience working at several different universities,
working with Peruvian students, and learning by
simply living in a large city in a foreign country. It is
an experience that I am sure he will never forget.
Researchers and educators have wonderful
opportunities in Peru to expose our students to
diverse habitats, hosts, and problems in
helminthology that will expand their (and our)
knowledge. We also have the opportunity to teach our
students larger lessons about the multi-dimensional
problems of global health associated with parasitic
infections, e.g., infections in people living in poor or
rural zones and the environmental, socio-political,
and economic factors that all play a role in
maintaining these infections.
There is much to discover and learn about
helminthology in Peru. I encourage other researchers
– including those outside of Latin America and
particularly those from smaller institutions with a
6
Opportunities in Helminthology Eric Wetzel
greater emphasis on teaching – to join the growing
number of collaborations and opportunities for
research in Peru and its impact on human
communities, our knowledge of host-parasite
biodiversity, and future generations of
helminthologists.
