Zoonotic Diseases | Interview with One of the Authors—Dr. Christian Hidalgo
“Multi-Method Evidence of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Wild European Rabbits in Chile: Implications for Reservoir Ecology and Surveillance”
by Nicol Quiroga, Antonella Bacigalupo, Esteban San Juan, Juana P. Correa, Gemma Rojo, Rodolfo Paredes, Aldo Solari, Christian Hidalgo and Carezza Botto-Mahan
Zoonotic Dis. 2026, 6(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/zoonoticdis6010010
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2813-0227/6/1/10
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and describe your main research focus?
I am Christian Hidalgo, a researcher at Universidad de las Américas in Chile with a PhD in biomedical sciences. My main research focus is veterinary parasitology, particularly the biology and immunology of zoonotic helminth infections. Much of my work examines host–parasite interactions in cystic echinococcosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus, including how coinfection with Fasciola hepatica influences immune responses, parasite development, and disease outcomes. More broadly, I use molecular, immunological, and histopathological approaches to investigate animal and zoonotic diseases, with growing interests in wildlife health, pathogen surveillance, and One Health.
2. What motivated you to pursue this field of zoonotic diseases? What is the most exciting part of your work?
As a veterinarian, our academic formation has a strong emphasis on public health, which is the intersection of veterinary and human health diseases, and fits into the One Health scope that we currently use to understand diseases. I would say that the most exciting part is understanding new reservoirs of zoonotic diseases and working towards evidence-based public policies.
3. Can you tell us more about your role in writing the paper “Multi-Method Evidence of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Wild European Rabbits in Chile: Implications for Reservoir Ecology and Surveillance” as well as about what you consider the main relevance of this study?
My role as corresponding author was to write and edit both the original and final manuscript drafts, and also, I performed the immunohistochemical assays, which are part of my specialization inside the laboratory. The main relevance is the report that rabbits, which are an invasive species in Chile, can harbor infective forms of Chagas disease, while not displaying severe signs of disease, making them potential candidates for becoming a reservoir.
4. How do you see your research field evolving in the future? What about the main challenges researchers in this field are facing / will face?
As our understanding of diseases advances, it is becoming increasingly complex to analyze them from our disciplinary perspective, so we are obliged to work interdisciplinary to produce quality scientific research. The main challenges researchers in this field will face will be the rapid changes in disease behavior driven by climate change on a scale that we haven’t witnessed yet.
5. Why did you choose MDPI’s Zoonotic Diseases as a platform for your work? Do you have suggestions for other scholars who are unsure which journal to submit to?
We as a team chose Zoonotic Diseases, a new journal, as a platform because we believed in the potential and focus that the journal provided. I suggest to my colleagues to consider this journal, as it has a broad scope that fits both animal and human health topics.
6. Do you have advice for other fellow scholars working in this field?
My main advice, which is something that has worked for me, is to seek collaboration with other professionals of different disciplines; we can learn much more from different perspectives in this field and work towards an improved understanding of planetary health.