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Maria A. Pacheco

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Maria A. Pacheco

  • College of Science and Technology

    • Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (IGEM)

      • Research Assistant Professor

Biography

My academic and professional interests are ecology and evolutionary biology of malaria parasites and their hosts. I am applying phylogenetic and molecular clock methods to understand host switches and the radiation of major malarial parasite groups in their vertebrate hosts, focusing on lizard, primate and avian parasites. This research provides the evolutionary blueprint to characterize putative molecular adaptations and will allow us to understand the evolution of gene encoding proteins that are considered as vaccine candidates. The parasite polymorphisms and their
geographic differentiation are also issues of great basic interest because they provide information about the parasite demographic history and/or phylogeography. In addition, I am also interested in the rate and mode of evolution of the mitochondrial genome, especially in Apicomplexa parasites and their vertebrate hosts. Finally, I am coordinating the Next‐Generation Sequencing (NGS) laboratory at iGEM; this collaboratory is expected to support its participants in the preparation of libraries to be used in genomic analyses.

Selected Publications

Recent

  • Ramey, A., Buchheit, R., Uher-Koch, B., Reed, J., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., & Schmutz, J. (2021). Negligible evidence for detrimental effects of Leucocytozoon infections among Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 16, 103-112. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.08.006.

  • Forero-Peña, D., Carrión-Nessi, F., Chavero, M., Gamardo, Ã., Figuera, L., Camejo-Ávila, N., Marcano, M., Hidalgo, M., Arenas-Leal, C., Villegas, L., Grillet, M., Pacheco, M., Mora, M., & Escalante, A. (2021). The clinical–epidemiological profile of malaria patients from Southern Venezuela, a critical hotspot in Latin America. Malaria Journal, 20(1). doi: 10.1186/s12936-021-03913-w.

  • Uwimana, A., Umulisa, N., Venkatesan, M., Svigel, S., Zhou, Z., Munyaneza, T., Habimana, R., Rucogoza, A., Moriarty, L., Sandford, R., Piercefield, E., Goldman, I., Ezema, B., Talundzic, E., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., Ngamije, D., Mangala, J., Kabera, M., Munguti, K., Murindahabi, M., Brieger, W., Musanabaganwa, C., Mutesa, L., Udhayakumar, V., Mbituyumuremyi, A., Halsey, E., & Lucchi, N. (2021). Association of Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 R561H genotypes with delayed parasite clearance in Rwanda: an open-label, single-arm, multicentre, therapeutic efficacy study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 21(8), 1120-1128. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00142-0.

  • Córdoba, O.H., Ferreira, F., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., & Braga, Ã. (2021). Plasmodium scorzai, n. sp., a new case of non-erythrocytic species within lizard malaria parasites. Parasitology. doi: 10.1017/S0031182021000895.

  • Raballah, E., Anyona, S., Cheng, Q., Munde, E., Hurwitz, I., Onyango, C., Ndege, C., Hengartner, N., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., Lambert, C., Ouma, C., Obama, H., Scheider, K., Seidenberg, P., McMahon, B., & Perkins, D. (2021). Complement component 3 mutations alter the longitudinal risk of pediatric malaria and severe malarial anemia. Experimental Biology and Medicine. doi: 10.1177/15353702211056272.

  • Pacheco, M., Schneider, K., Cheng, Q., Munde, E., Ndege, C., Onyango, C., Raballah, E., Anyona, S., Ouma, C., Perkins, D., & Escalante, A. (2020). Changes in the frequencies of Plasmodium falciparum dhps and dhfr drug-resistant mutations in children from Western Kenya from 2005 to 2018: the rise of Pfdhps S436H. Malaria Journal, 19(1). doi: 10.1186/s12936-020-03454-8.

  • Pacheco, M., Parish, C., Hauck, T., Aguilar, R., & Escalante, A. (2020). The endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) population is exposed to local haemosporidian parasites. Scientific Reports, 10(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-74894-0.

  • Pacheco, M., Ceríaco, L., Matta, N., Vargas-Ramírez, M., Bauer, A., & Escalante, A. (2020). A phylogenetic study of Haemocystidium parasites and other Haemosporida using complete mitochondrial genome sequences. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 85. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104576.

  • Pacheco, M., Forero-Penã, D., Schneider, K., Chavero, M., Gamardo, A., Figuera, L., Kadakia, E., Grillet, M., Oliveira-Ferreira, J., & Escalante, A. (2020). Malaria in Venezuela: Changes in the complexity of infection reflects the increment in transmission intensity. Malaria Journal, 19(1). doi: 10.1186/s12936-020-03247-z.

  • González, L., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., Maldonado, A.J., Cepeda, A., Rodríguez-Fandiño, O., Vargas‐Ramírez, M., & Matta, N. (2019). Haemocystidium spp., a species complex infecting ancient aquatic turtles of the family Podocnemididae: First report of these parasites in Podocnemis vogli from the Orinoquia. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 10, 299-309. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.10.003.

  • Lotta, I., ValkiÅ«nas, G., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., Hernández, S., & Matta, N. (2019). Disentangling Leucocytozoon parasite diversity in the neotropics: Descriptions of two new species and shortcomings of molecular diagnostics for leucocytozoids. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 9, 159-173. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.05.002.

  • Bosque, C. & Pacheco, M. (2019). Skewed adult sex ratios in Columbina ground doves from Venezuela. Journal of Field Ornithology, 90(1), 1-6. doi: 10.1111/jofo.12277.

  • Pacheco, A., García-Amado, M.A., Manzano, J., Matta, N., & Escalante, A. (2019). Blood parasites infecting the Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin), a unique neotropical folivorous bird. PeerJ, 2019(2). doi: 10.7717/peerj.6361.

  • Pacheco, M., Kadakia, E., Chaudhary, Z., Perkins, D., Kelley, J., Ravishankar, S., Cranfield, M., Talundzic, E., Udhayakumar, V., & Escalante, A. (2019). Evolution and genetic diversity of the k13 gene associated with artemisinin delayed parasite clearance in plasmodium falciparum. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 63(8). doi: 10.1128/AAC.02550-18.

  • Escalante, A. & Pacheco, M. (2019). Malaria molecular epidemiology: An evolutionary genetics perspective. Microbiology Spectrum, 7(4). doi: 10.1128/microbiolspec.AME-0010-2019.

  • Ferreira-Junior, F., Dutra, D.D.A., Silveira, P., Pacheco, R., Witter, R., Ramos, D.D.S., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., & Braga, Ã. (2018). A new pathogen spillover from domestic to wild animals: Plasmodium juxtanucleare infects free-living passerines in Brazil. Parasitology, 145(14), 1949-1958. doi: 10.1017/S003118201800077X.

  • Rodrigues, P., Valdivia, H., Oliveira, T.D., Alves, J., Duarte, A., Cerutti-Junior, C., Buery, J., Brito, C., Souza, J.D., Hirano, Z., Bueno, M., Catão-Dias, J., Malafronte, R., Ladeia-Andrade, S., Mita, T., Santamaria, A., Calzada, J., Tantular, I., Kawamoto, F., Raijmakers, L., Mueller, I., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., Felger, I., & Ferreira, M. (2018). Human migration and the spread of malaria parasites to the New World. Scientific Reports, 8(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-19554-0.

  • Pacheco, M., Cepeda, A., Bernotienė, R., Lotta, I., Matta, N., ValkiÅ«nas, G., & Escalante, A. (2018). Primers targeting mitochondrial genes of avian haemosporidians: PCR detection and differential DNA amplification of parasites belonging to different genera. International Journal for Parasitology, 48(8), 657-670. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.02.003.

  • Matta, N., González, L., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., Moreno, A., González, A., & Calderón-Espinosa, M. (2018). Plasmodium parasites in reptiles from the Colombia Orinoco-Amazon basin: a re-description of Plasmodium kentropyxi Lainson R, Landau I, Paperna I, 2001 and Plasmodium carmelinoi Lainson R, Franco CM, da Matta R, 2010. Parasitology Research, 117(5), 1357-1370. doi: 10.1007/s00436-018-5815-9.

  • Pacheco, M., Schneider, K., Céspedes, N., Herrera, S., Arévalo-Herrera, M., & Escalante, A. (2018). Limited differentiation among Plasmodium vivax populations from the northwest and to the south Pacific Coast of Colombia: A malaria corridor? PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 13(3). doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007310.

  • Pacheco, M., Matta, N., Valkiünas, G., Parker, P., Mello, B., Stanley, C., Lentino, M., Garcia-Amado, M., Cranfield, M., Pond, S., & Escalante, A. (2018). Mode and rate of evolution of haemosporidian mitochondrial genomes: Timing the radiation of avian parasites. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 35(2), 383-403. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msx285.

  • Bosque, C., Garcia-Amado, M.A., & Pacheco, M.A. (2022). BREEDING AND MOLT PATTERNS OF THE COMMON GROUND-DOVE (COLUMBINA PASSERINA) IN XERIC, UNPREDICTABLE ENVIRONMENTS OF VENEZUELA. ORNITOLOGIA NEOTROPICAL, 29, S37-S49. Retrieved from http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000441862400006&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=abcd71df5a6dac31fd219478b0a9c638.

  • Pacheco, M.A., Chaurio, R.A., Cornejo, O.E., Durrego, E., Stanley, C.E., Castillo, A.I., Herrera, S., & Escalante, A.A. EVOLUTION OF THE TRANSMISSION-BLOCKING VACCINE CANDIDATES PVS28 AND PVS25 IN PLASMODIUM VIVAX: GEOGRAPHIC DIFFERENTIATION AND EVIDENCE OF POSITIVE SELECTION. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE, 95(5), 296-297. Retrieved from http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000412851502467&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=abcd71df5a6dac31fd219478b0a9c638.

  • Rodrigues, P.T., Valdivia, H.O., Oliveira, T.C., Barbosa, S., Duarte, A.M.R., Junior, C.C., Buery, J.C., Brito, C.F., Mueller, I., Escalante, A.A., Pacheco, M.A., Malafronte, R.S., Alves, J.M., Felger, I., & Ferreira, M.U. ORIGIN AND SPREAD OF PLASMODIUM VIVAX AND P. FALCIPARUM IN THE AMERICAS. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE, 95(5), 296-296. Retrieved from http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000412851502466&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=abcd71df5a6dac31fd219478b0a9c638.

  • Erkenswick, G., Watsa, M., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., & Parker, P. (2017). Chronic plasmodium brasilianum infections in wild peruvian tamarins. PLoS ONE, 12(9). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184504.

  • Gómez, K.M., Caicedo, M., Gaitán, A., Herrera-Varela, M., Arce, M., Vallejo, A., Padilla, J., Chaparro, P., Pacheco, M., Escalante, A., Arevalo-Herrera, M., & Herrera, S. (2017). Characterizing the malaria rural-to-urban transmission interface: The importance of reactive case detection. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(7). doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005780.

  • Castillo, A., Pacheco, M.A., & Escalante, A. (2017). Evolution of the merozoite surface protein 7 (msp7) family in Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum: A comparative approach. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 50, 7-19. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.01.024.