Insect-borne diseases in the Amazon linked to land use and rural economies, study finds
Diseases spread by insects in the Brazilian Amazon are not randomly distributed but form distinct regional patterns linked to land use, rural economies and environmental change, according to new research led by the Environmental Change Institute (ECI)
Insect-borne diseases in the Amazon linked to land use and rural economies, study finds
Diseases spread by insects in the Brazilian Amazon are not randomly distributed but form distinct regional patterns linked to land use, rural economies and environmental change, according to new research led by the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), at the University of Oxford.
The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, analysed more than 1.28 million reported cases of malaria, dengue, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis between 2015 and 2019.
The findings show that these diseases cluster in different combinations depending on how land is used — from forest-based livelihoods to intensive agriculture and urban expansion.
In forested and remote rural areas, where communities often depend on small-scale farming and extractivism (the harvesting of natural resources such as forest products), malaria and Chagas disease were more likely to occur together. These areas are also often affected by poverty and limited healthcare access.
In contrast, regions dominated by agriculture, pasture expansion, roads and urban growth showed different patterns, with dengue and cutaneous leishmaniasis (a disease that causes long-lasting skin sores) more likely to overlap.
Visceral leishmaniasis followed a separate pattern. This more severe form of leishmaniasis, which affects internal organs and can be fatal if untreated, was more closely associated with urban poverty, environmental disruption such as fires, climate extremes and cattle-linked economies.
The researchers also found that disease patterns reflect broader social and environmental conditions, rather than being driven only by the insects that transmit them.
Lead author Dr Milton Barbosa, Marie Curie Research Fellow at the ECI and Assistant Professor, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil, said the findings show that health risks in the Amazon are closely linked to land use and development.
“Different forms of land use and economic activity create different disease patterns across the Amazon. Diseases are shaped not only by insect vectors, but by how people live and how landscapes change over time.”
Co-author Professor Claudia Codeço said the Amazon should be seen as a mosaic of different socio-environmental systems.
“There is not one Amazon, but many. Each has different patterns of land use and environmental change, which influence disease risk.”
The authors say the findings could help improve disease surveillance by identifying areas where multiple diseases share the same underlying drivers, supporting more integrated public health responses.
They also suggest that policies aimed at reducing deforestation, improving living conditions and managing land use could have important public health benefits alongside environmental gains.
The study, “Vector-borne disease co-occurrence is shaped by agrarian economy and socioenvironmental contexts in the Brazilian Amazon,” is published in Communications Earth & Environment.
Key facts
- Study period: 2015–2019
- Geographic scope: Brazilian Amazon municipalities
- Dataset: more than 1.28 million reported cases (malaria, dengue, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis)
- Approach: ecosyndemic analysis (examining multiple diseases together and their shared drivers)
- Study design: Ecological spatial analysis of disease co-occurrence patterns across the Brazilian Amazon
Journal
Communications Earth & Environment
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Vector-borne disease co-occurrence is shaped by agrarian economy and socioenvironmental contexts in the Brazilian Amazon
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