Abstract

BAPTISTA-ROSAS, Raúl C.; ARELLANO, Evarista; HINOJOSA, Alejandro  and  RIQUELME, Meritxell. Bioclimatology of Coccidioidomycosis in Baja California, Mexico. Invest. Geog [online]. 2010, n.71, pp.21-30. ISSN 2448-7279.

The bioclimatic study of Coccidioidomicosis, an endemic disease of the arid lands of America, caused by the ascomycetes Coccidioides spp., is related to two aspects: the well known spatial distribution of the disease associated to desert environments, and the correlation between the incidence of cases and meteorological events. In Northern Mexico, the impact and spatial distribution of the disease are practically unexplored. In this work we analyzed the probable endemic area in Baja California based on bioclimatic variables and using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The relation between meteorological events and the reported cases of the disease was analyzed during the period of January 1988 to December 1994. A correlation between the number of reported cases for the disease, the accumulated monthly pluvial precipitation (PP) and the high and low average temperatures was found. Existing evidence proposes that the endemic region of Baja California has a bimodal rain pattern, in Summer and Winter, which is characteristic of bioclimatic transition zones. The reported cases of the disease were registered mainly in the driest months of the year after seasonal rains. It is considered that in the most Southern region of Baja California the most favorable bioclimatic conditions for the habitat of Coccidioides spp. are met; in the transition zone of Mediterranean-desert biomas.

Keywords : Coccidioidomycosis; biogeography; bioclimatology; medical geography.

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