Immunology research in Latin American countries: a bibliometric analysis of scientific productivity and collaboration covering the period 2000-2017

Immunology publications by Latin American countries were analyzed for the period 2000-2017. The region showed a constant growth in article production during this time. The increase was mainly due to articles in Q1 and Q2 journals. The more productive countries in the total number of articles, in articles per million population and the countries with the highest increase in production, were identified. The subject of around 50% of the articles was infectious diseases that are severe burdens for Latin American countries. Countries with lower production were more dependent on international collaborations to increase their Q1 and Q2 articles, while the most productive countries were less dependent. International collaboration articles varied in proportion from country to country, and 50% were with the USA. Collaboration among Latin American countries was very low. Domestic Q1 and Q2 articles had impact factors (IF) higher than average and international collaboration increased IF for some countries but not for others. The role of Latin American journals in publishing immunology articles was also analyzed. Latin American immunology is experiencing steady growth and a competitive international presence.