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Dr. Estrada-Franco

Jose G Estrada-Franco, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Center for Biodefense and Emergent Infectious Diseases, Department of Pathology;
Scientific Advisor, Mexico-USA Commission on Foot and Mouth Disease and other Exotic Diseases, Animal Health Division, Mexican Agricultural Ministry, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas

University of Texas Medical Branch
G154 Keiller Building
301 University Boulevard
Galveston, TX 77555-0609

Office: (409) 747-2483
joestrad@utmb.edu

Professional Education

Degree Institution Field of Study Graduation Year
B.S. National Politechnical Institute, Mexico City Biochemical Engineering 1973
M.S. School of Public Health, University of Texas, Houston, Tx Human Ecology 1982
Ph.D. Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland Medical Entomology 1992

Honors

1978–1982 World Health Organization Fellow
1985–1986 World Health Organization Fellow
1994 MacArthur Foundation Fellow Workshop “Biology of Disease Vectors”. Heracklion, Crete
2006 “Best” Veterinary Research Project and Article. Scientific Committee Veterinary Sciences. University of the State of Mexico, Toluca, Mexico. “Human Trypanosoma cruzi infection and seropositivity in dogs, Mexico”

Research Interests

West Nile virus (WNV) was likely introduced in southern and northern Mexico from the U.S in two independent events. Since then, WNV activity has been reported in several Mexican states border the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico, but disease manifestations seen there in humans and equids are quite different to that observed in the U.S. We have analyzed WNV seroprevalence in asymptomatic, unvaccinated equids from two Mexican states where no data had been previously recorded. WNV antibodies were detected in 31.6% (91/288) of equine sera from Chiapas and Puebla states (53.3% and 8.0%, respectively).  Analysis by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) showed good specificity (99.4%) and sensitivity (84.9%) with the ELISA results. Further analyses to detect antibodies against three different flaviviruses (WN, Saint Louis encephalitis and Ilheus viruses) by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests on a subset of 138 samples showed that 53% of the HI-positive samples react specifically against WNV.  These data suggest continuous expansion of WNV through Mexico.

Selected Publications

  1. Estrada-Franco JG, and George B. Craig. 1995. "Biology, Disease Relationships and Control of Aedes albopictus." Technical Paper #42. Pan American Health Organization. Washington D.C.
  2. Plowe C.V., J. Cortese, A. Djimde, O. Nwanjanwu, W. Watkins, P. Winstanley, JG Estrada-Franco, R. Mollinedo, J.C. Avila, J.L. Cespedes, D. Carter, O. Doumbo.  1997.  "Mutations in Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase and   Dihydropteroate synthase and epidemiologic patterns of pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine use and resistance.  Journal of Infectious Diseases 176:1590-1596.
  3. Coetzee M., JG Estrada-Franco, C. Wunderlich and R. Hunt.  1999. "Cytogenetic evidence for a species complex within Anopheles pseudopunctipennis Theobald (Diptera: Culicidae)".  American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 60(4):649-653.
  4. Strickman D., B. Timberlake, J Estrada-Franco, M. Weissman, P. Fenimore and R. Novak.  2000. "Effects of magnetic fields on mosquitoes".  Journal American Mosquito Control Association 16:131-137.
  5. Anderson T., B. Haubold, Lynne Richardson,  JG Estrada-Franco, R. Mollinedo, M. Bockarie, J. Mokili, S. Mharakurwa, N. French, J. Whitworth, I Dario Velez, A. Brockman, F. Nosten, M. Ferreira and K.P.Kay.  2000. “Microsatellite reveal a spectrum of population structures in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum”.  Journal Molecular Biology and Evolution 17:1467-1482.
  6. Turell MJ, M O’Guinn, R. Navarro and JG Estrada-Franco.2003. “Vector competence of Mexican mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) for enzootic (IE) and epizootic (IC) strains of venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus”. Journal of Medical Entomology 40:306-310.
  7. Gonzalez D., JG Estrada-Franco, A-S, Carrara, J. Aronson, and SC Weaver. 2003.  “Equine amplification and virulence of subtype IE venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses isolated during the 1993 and 1996 Mexican epizootics”. Emerging Infectious Diseases 9(2):161-168.
  8. Estrada-Franco JG, R. Navarro-Lopez, D.W.C. Beasley, L. Coffey, A-S. Carrara, A. Travassos da Rosa, T. Clements, E. Wang, G. Ludwig, A. Campomanes-Cortes, P. Paz-Ramirez, R, Tesh, A.D.T. Barret, S. Weaver.  2003.   “Isolation of West Nile virus in Mexico and serologic evidence of widespread circulation since July 2002”. 
    Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol 9 (12): 1604-1607.
  9. Weaver S, M Anishchenko, R. Bowen, A Brault, JG Estrada-Franco, Z. Fernandez, I. Greene, D. Ortiz, S. Paessler, A Powers. 2004. “Genetic determinants of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Emergence”. Archives of Virology (Suppl) 18:43-64.
  10. Beasley DWC, M. Holbrook, A. Travassos da Rosa, L. Coffey, A-S. Carrara, K. Phillippi-Falkestein, R. Bohn Jr, MS Ratterree, G. Ludwig, JG Estrada-Franco, S. Weaver, R. Tesh, R. Shope,ADT Barrett. 2004. “Detection of antibodies to West Nile Virus in mouse, monkey and horse sera using a recombinant envelope protein subunit antigen”.  Journal of Clinical Microbiology  Jun: 42(6):2759-2765.
  11. Brault AC, A Powers, D Ortiz, JG Estrada-Franco, R Navarro-Lopez, SC Weaver. 2004. “Venezuelan equine encephalitis emergence: Enhanced vector infection from a single amino acid substitution in the envelope glycoprotein”.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Aug 3;101(31):11344-9.
  12. Estrada-Franco JG, R. Navarro-Lopez, J. Freier, T. Clements, G. Ludwig, W Kang, CH Gomez-Hernandez, G. Rodriguez-Dominguez, SC Weaver. 2004. “Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis, Southern Mexico”. Emerging Infectious Diseases.Vol 10, No 12, 2113-2121.
  13. Beasley DW, T. Davis, JG Estrada-Franco, R. Navarro-Lopez, A. Campomanes-Cortes, R. Tesh, S. C. Weaver, A. D Barret. 2004.  “Genome Sequence and Attenuating Mutations in West Nile Virus Isolate from Mexico.  Emerging Infectious Diseases.  Vol 10, No 12:2221-2224.
  14. Wang E, S. Paesller, P. Aguilar, D. Smith, L. Coffey, W. kang, M. Pfiffer, J. Olson, P. Blair, C. Guevara, JG Estrada Franco and SC Weaver. 2005. “A novel rapid assay for the detection and differentiation of serotype specific Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Complex alphavirus”.  American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 72(6)805-810.
  15. Deardorff E., JG Estrada-Franco, A. Brault, R. Navarro Lopez, A Campomanes Cortes, P Paz Ramirez, M Solis Hernandez, DC Beasley, T Davis, R Tesh, ADT Barret, SC Weave 2006. “Introductions of West Nile virus strains to Mexico”. Emerging Infectious Diseases 12(2):314-318.  
  16. Estrada-Franco JG, V Bathia, H Diaz-Albiter, L Ochoa-Garcia, JC Vazquez-Chagoyan, MA Martinez-Perez, C. Guzman-Bracho and N. Garg. 2006. “Human Trypanosoma cruzi infection and seropositivity in dogs, Mexico”. Emerging Infectious Diseases 12 (4) 624-630.
  17. Deardorff E, Forrester N, Travassos Da Rosa A., Estrada-Franco JG, Navarro-Lopez R., Tesh R.B, Weaver SC. “Experimental Infections of Potential Mexican Reservoir Host with Venezuelan Equine Encephalits Virus”. Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol 15(4):519-525.
  18. Alonso-Padilla J, E. Loza-Rubio, E. Escribano-Romero, L. Córdoba, S. Cuevas, F. Mejía, R. Calderón, F. Milián, A. Travassos da Rosa, S.C. Weaver, J. G. Estrada-Franco and J. C. Saiz. 2009. . “West Nile Virus (WNV) continuous spread in Mexico: seroprevalence in asymptomatic horses from Puebla and Chiapas states.” Epidemiology and Infection 137:1163-1168.
  19. Dhiman Monisha, JG Estrada-Franco, Jasmine Pando, Francisco Ramirez-Aguilar, Heidi Spratt, Sara Vasquez-Corzo, Gladys Perez-Molina, Rosa Gallegos-Sandoval, Roberto Moreno, and Nisha Jain Garg. 2009. “Increased mieloperoxidase activity and protein nitration are indicators of inflammation in chagasic patients”. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology Vol 16:660-666.
  20. Barbabosa-Pliego A, H Diaz-Albiter, L Ochoa-Garcia, E Aparicio-Burgos, S Lopez-Heydeck, V. Velásquez-Ordonez, R Fajardo-Munoz, S Diaz-Gonzalez, R Montes De Oca-Jimenez, M Barbosa-Mireles, C Guzman-Bracho, JG Estrada-Franco, NJ Garg y JC Vazquez-Chagoyan. 2009. “Trypanosoma cruzi circulating in the southern region of State of Mexico is pathogenic: A dog model” American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 81(3): 390-395.

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