The Bibliometric Landscape of Infectious Disease Research in Panama (1990 - 2019): An Evaluation of the Country’s Capability on One Health

Abstract

Background: This work aims to analyze the landscape of scientific publications on subjects related to One Health and infectious diseases in Panama. We asked the following specific questions: How does the One Health research landscape look like in Panama? Are historical research efforts aligned with the One Health concept? What infectious diseases have received more attention from the local scientific community since 1990?Methods: Boolean searches on the Web of Science, SCOPUS and PubMed were undertaken to evaluate the main trends of publications related to One Health and infectious disease research in the country of Panama, between 1990 and 2019. Results: 4,547 publications were identified since 1990, including 3,564 peer-reviewed articles interconnected with One Health related descriptors, and 211 articles focused particularly on infectious diseases. There was a pattern of exponential growth in the number of publications with various contributions from Panamanian institutions. The rates of multidisciplinary, inter-institutional and inter-sectoral research ranged from moderate to low, to very low, respectively. Research efforts have centered largely on protozoan, neglected and arthropod-borne diseases with a strong emphasis on malaria, Chagas and leishmaniasis. Conclusion: Panama has scientific capabilities on One Health to tackle future infectious disease threats, but the official collaboration schemes and strategic investment to develop further competencies need to be considered. Through future collaborative efforts, Panama can reduce the risk of pandemics by developing surveillance strategies to improve the prediction of disease spillover, spread and persistence while helping to mitigate the impact on public health and the economy, regionally.