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Maria Andreina Pacheco

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Maria Andreina Pacheco

  • College of Science and Technology

    • Biology

      • Research Associate 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.

Courses Taught

Number

Name

Level

BIOL 4391

Accelerated Research in Biology

Undergraduate

Selected Publications

Recent

  • Pacheco, M.A. & Escalante, A.A. (2023). Origin and diversity of malaria parasites and other Haemosporida. Trends Parasitol, 39(7), 501-516. England. 10.1016/j.pt.2023.04.004

  • Raballah, E., Anyona, S.B., Cheng, Q., Munde, E.O., Hurwitz, I., Onyango, C., Ndege, C., Hengartner, N.W., Pacheco, M.A., Escalante, A.A., Lambert, C.G., Ouma, C., Obama, H.C.J.T., Schneider, K.A., Seidenberg, P.D., McMahon, B.H., & Perkins, D.J. (2022). Complement component 3 mutations alter the longitudinal risk of pediatric malaria and severe malarial anemia. Exp Biol Med (Maywood), 247(8), 672-682. Switzerland. 10.1177/15353702211056272

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

  • Córdoba, O.H., Ferreira, F.C., Pacheco, M.A., Escalante, A.A., & Braga, Ã.M. (2021). Plasmodium ouropretensis, n. sp., a new case of non-erythrocytic species within lizard malaria parasites. Parasitology, 148(12), 1467-1474. England. 10.1017/S0031182021000895

  • Forero-Peña, D.A., Carrión-Nessi, F.S., Chavero, M., Gamardo, Ã., Figuera, L., Camejo-Ávila, N.A., Marcano, M.V., Hidalgo, M., Arenas-Leal, C.J., Villegas, L., Grillet, M.E., Pacheco, M.A., Mora, M.S., & Escalante, A.A. (2021). The clinical-epidemiological profile of malaria patients from Southern Venezuela, a critical hotspot in Latin America. Malar J, 20(1), 375. England. 10.1186/s12936-021-03913-w

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

  • Pacheco, M.A., Ceríaco, L.M., Matta, N.E., Vargas-Ramírez, M., Bauer, A.M., & Escalante, A.A. (2020). A phylogenetic study of Haemocystidium parasites and other Haemosporida using complete mitochondrial genome sequences. Infect Genet Evol, 85, 104576. Netherlands. 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104576

  • Pacheco, M.A., Schneider, K.A., Cheng, Q., Munde, E.O., Ndege, C., Onyango, C., Raballah, E., Anyona, S.B., Ouma, C., Perkins, D.J., & Escalante, A.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. Malar J, 19(1), 378. England. 10.1186/s12936-020-03454-8

  • Pacheco, M.A., Parish, C.N., Hauck, T.J., Aguilar, R.F., & Escalante, A.A. (2020). The endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) population is exposed to local haemosporidian parasites. Sci Rep, 10(1), 17947. England. 10.1038/s41598-020-74894-0