Community Epidemiology Approach to Parasitic Infection Screening in a Remote Community in Ecuador

Mariella Anselmi Centro de Epidemiologia Comunitaria y Medicina Tropical (CECOMET), Esmeraldas, Ecuador;
Centre for Tropical Diseases, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy;

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Angel Guevara Carrera de Medicina, Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador;

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Yosselin Vicuña Carrera de Medicina, Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador;

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Sandra Vivero Carrera de Medicina, Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador;

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Rosanna Prandi Centro de Epidemiologia Comunitaria y Medicina Tropical (CECOMET), Esmeraldas, Ecuador;

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Cintia Caicedo Centro de Epidemiologia Comunitaria y Medicina Tropical (CECOMET), Esmeraldas, Ecuador;

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Monica Marquez Centro de Epidemiologia Comunitaria y Medicina Tropical (CECOMET), Esmeraldas, Ecuador;

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Zeno Bisoffi Centre for Tropical Diseases, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy;
Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Section, Diagnostic and Public Health Department, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

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Dora Buonfrate Centre for Tropical Diseases, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy;

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.19-0187
Volume/Issue:
Volume 101: Issue 3
Page(s):
650–653
Restricted access
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The Awa indigenous people of Ecuador live in remote areas and were included in health programs only recently. The first screening for parasitic infections in the Awa communities was implemented in the context of community epidemiology. During the site visits in each community, the health-care staff collected the samples for stool microscopy and serology for Strongyloides. A total of 705 individuals consented for the study, representing 40% of the Awa population living in the targeted communities; 184 (26%) participants supplied a stool sample. Giardia intestinalis was found in about 11% of samples. Prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura was 54.9% and 36.9%, respectively. No hookworm eggs were found. In addition, Strongyloides stercoralis larvae were found in eight individuals (4.3%), whereas serology was positive in 22.7% of the individuals tested. The community-based approach resulted in an impressive participation. There was a high prevalence of parasites associated with relevant morbidity.

Author Notes

Address correspondence to Dora Buonfrate, Centre for Tropical Diseases, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Via Sempreboni 5, Negrar, Verona 37024, Italy. E-mail: dora.buonfrate@sacrocuore.it

Financial support: This work was partly supported by the Italian Ministry of Health “Fondi Ricerca Corrente - Linea 3, progetto 8” to IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital.

Authors’ addresses: Mariella Anselmi, Rosanna Prandi, Cintia Caicedo, and Monica Marquez, Centro de Epidemiologia Comunitaria y Medicina Tropical (CECOMET), Esmeraldas, Ecuador, E-mails: mariella.anselmi@alice.it, rosannaprandi@cecomet.org, cintiacaicedo@cecomet.org, and monicamarquez@cecomet.org. Angel Guevara, Yosselin Vicuña, and Sandra Vivero, Instituto de Biomedicina, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador, E-mails: agguevara@uce.edu.ec, yossvi@gmail.com, and sgvivero@uce.edu.ec. Zeno Bisoffi and Dora Buonfrate, Department of Infectious–Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy, E-mails: zeno.bisoffi@sacrocuore.it and dora.buonfrate@sacrocuore.it.

Copyright:
© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2019
Received:
05 Mar 2019
|
Accepted:
06 Jun 2019
|
Published Online:
22 Jul 2019
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
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