Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “ECUADOR”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 883 records · Page 49Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Observations on the domestic ecology of Rhodnius ecuadoriensis (Triatominae).

Rhodnius ecuadoriensis infests peridomiciles and colonises houses in rural southern Ecuador. Six out of 84 dwellings (7%) surveyed in a rural village were infested (78 bugs/infested domicile; 279 bugs were collected in a single dwelling). Precipitin tests revealed R. ecuadoriensis fed on birds (65%), rodents (31%), marsupials (8%), and humans (15%) - mixed bloodmeals detected in 37.5% of individual samples. Trypanosoma cruzi from opossums and rodents may thus be introduced into the domestic cycle. Wasp parasitoidism was detected in 6.5% of 995 R. ecuadoriensis eggs (only in peridomestic habitats). Control strategies should integrate insecticide spraying (indoors and peridomestic), better management of poultry, and housing improvements. A possible inefficacy of Malathion is reported.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The epidemiology and control of leishmaniasis in Andean countries.

This paper reviews the current knowledge of leishmaniasis epidemiology in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. In all 5 countries leishmaniasis is endemic in both the Andean highlands and the Amazon basin. The sandfly vectors belong to subgenera Helcocyrtomyia, Nyssomiya, Lutzomyia, and Psychodopygus, and the Verrucarum group. Most human infections are caused by Leishmania in the Viannia subgenus. Human Leishmania infections cause cutaneous lesions, with a minority of L. (Viannia) infections leading to mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. Visceral leishmaniasis and diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis are both rare. In each country a significant proportion of Leishmania transmission is in or around houses, often close to coffee or cacao plantations. Reservoir hosts for domestic transmission cycles are uncertain. The paper first addresses the burden of disease caused by leishmaniasis, focusing on both incidence rates and on the variability in symptoms. Such information should provide a rational basis for prioritizing control resources, and for selecting therapy regimes. Secondly, we describe the variation in transmission ecology, outlining those variables which might affect the prevention strategies. Finally, we look at the current control strategies and review the recent studies on control.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Drugs use and risk behavior in a university community.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate drug use and risk behaviors among students of the University of Guayaquil in Ecuador. To evaluate this issue, we used the questionnaire "Youth Risk Behavior Survey" (YRBS). The study sample consisted of 751 undergraduate students: 328 (44%) male and 423 (56%) female. Average age was 20 years old and 85,5% of the students were single. Alcohol, tobacco and marihuana were the most consumed substances among students, who use them for entertainment. Drug consumption (legal or illegal) among students has become an issue for specialized research as well as an important field of intervention for public policies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Comparative analysis of Andean and Caribbean region health systems].

OBJECTIVE: Carrying out a comparative analysis of Andean and Caribbean health systems contributing towards the general panorama of Andean and Caribbean region health care system experience. METHODS: This study was aimed at carrying out a comparative analysis of health systems in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Cuba between 1990 and 2004. Documentary information from secondary sources was used. Reform and changes during the aforementioned period were compared, as well as the systems' current configurations. Described typologies were used for studying the health systems. RESULTS: Different organisational designs were found for the systems: a national health system (NHS), segmented systems and systems based on mandatory insurance. The trend of reforms introduced in the 1990s and current proposals in almost all systems are directed towards adopting mandatory insurance via a basic packet of services and strengthening competition in providing services through a public and private mix. CONCLUSIONS: The organisation and structure of most systems studied have introduced and continue to introduce changes in line with international guidelines. The generality of these structures means that efforts must still be made to adopt designs strengthening them as instruments improving populations' quality of life. Comparative analysis is a tool leading to studying health systems and producing information which can nourish debate regarding current sector reform. This work took shape during the first approach to a comparative study of Andean region and Caribbean health systems.

Bolivia↗
PubMed2006

[Validation of a questionnaire for epilepsy diagnosis in primary care services].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of a questionnaire in primary health care services for establishing the diagnosis of epilepsy in children from 1 to 10 years old and for classifying their epileptic seizures. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 2004. There were 204 children in the study (102 diagnosed with epilepsy and 102 without epilepsy). The children were randomly selected at the Regional Center of Epilepsies and the Vincent Corral Moscoso Hospital, which are both in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. For the study, each child with epilepsy was matched with a child without epilepsy, in two age groups: 1 to 5 years old and 6 to 10 years old. Four students who were in their last academic year in the School of Medicine of Cuenca and who did not know the child's diagnosis utilized the questionnaire with a family member or other guardian of the child. The validity, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the questionnaire were calculated, with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). The clinical diagnosis carried out by specialists was used as the gold standard. RESULTS: The assessment showed that the questionnaire had good sensitivity (95.10%; 95% CI: 94.58%-95.61%) and good specificity (97.06%; 95% CI: 96.58%-97.59%). Validity was 96.08% (95% CI: 95.84%-96.36%), with a positive predictive value of 97.00% (95% CI: 96.48%-97.52%) and a negative predictive value of 95.19% (95% CI: 94.74%-95.74%). The level of agreement in the classification of the epileptic seizures carried out by the neurologists and by the medical students who used the questionnaire was satisfactory for the generalized seizures (kappa = 0.67). Upon testing for interobserver agreement among the specialists, the kappa value for the diagnoses was 0.80 among the neurologists and 0.89 among the pediatricians. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic questionnaire that was assessed has good sensitivity and adequate specificity, and, after brief training, primary health care general practitioners can use it to help them diagnose epileptic seizures.

Child↗
PubMed2003

Hematology, plasma chemistry, serology, and Chlamydophila status of the waved albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) on the Galapagos Islands.

Venipuncture was performed on 50 adult, free-ranging waved albatrosses (Phoebastria irrorata) on Española, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, to establish hematologic and plasma biochemistry reference ranges and to determine the prevalence of exposure to important domestic avian pathogens. Weights and plasma creatine phosphokinase activities differed significantly between males and females. Serum was tested for evidence of exposure to avian influenza, avian paramyxoviruses 1, 2, and 3, avian cholera, adenovirus groups 1 and 2, avian encephalomyelitis, Marek's disease, infectious bursal disease, and infectious bronchitis virus (Connecticut and Massachusetts strains). Of 44 birds, 29 (66%) seroreacted to adenovirus group 1, and four seroreacted to avian encephalomyelitis. Cloacal swabs were negative for Chlamydophila psittaci DNA.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Comparison of conventional techniques to differentiate between Taenia solium and Taenia saginata and an improved polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay using a mitochondrial 12S rDNA fragment.

Given the constraints of classical diagnostic methods, i.e., morphological and isoenzymatic studies of proglottids, a polymerase chain reaction test complemented with restriction enzyme analysis has been modified by redesigning one of the primers to reduce nonspecific amplifications experienced when using field samples. The use of these new, highly cestode-specific primers and the restriction enzyme Ddel led to the development of a diagnostic assay that clearly distinguishes between Taenia saginata and T. solium proglottids in field samples. This assay confirms the presence of T. saginata in Ecuador. DNA amplification of some of these taeniids showed different patterns, suggesting the possibility that strain differences exist. These results demonstrate the need for development of useful molecular assays as reliable tools for epidemiological studies on cestodes.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Mites associated with the small ground finch, Geospiza fuliginosa (Passeriformes: Emberizidae), from the Galápagos Islands.

In collections of ectoparasites from 368 small ground finches, Geospiza fuliginosa, in populations from the islands of Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, and Santa Fé, in the Galápagos Archipelago, Ecuador, we found 8 species of mites. Four mite species were common on all islands sampled, i.e., Mesalgoides geospizae Mironov and Pérez (Psoroptoididae), Xolalges palmai Mironov and Pérez (Xolalgidae), and 2 new species, Trouessartia geospiza n. sp. (Trouessartiidae) and Proctophyllodes darwini n. sp. (Proctophyllodidae). Four other species were represented by single collections from G. fuliginosa, i.e., Pterodectes atyeoi n. sp. (Proctophyllodidae), Strelkoviacarus sp. (Analgidae), Dermoglyphus sp. (Dermoglyphidae), and Dermanyssus sp. (Dermanyssidae). Authorship of new species names is attributed to the 3 authors who prepared the descriptions (B.M.O.C., J.F., D.L.). Trouessartia geospiza and P. atyeoi were also found on previously collected specimens of other Geospiza species in museum collections. For the 4 common species, we found no differences in prevalence among the 4 island populations, but infection prevalence differed among the 4 species. The mean infection prevalence was high for T. geospizae (89%), moderate for M. geospizae (58%) and X. palmai (44%), and low for P. darwini (26%) in all populations. The feather mite fauna of G. fuliginosa was similar to that of other Geospiza species, and generally related to communities found on other emberizid finches.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1996

Epidemiology of coca derivatives use in the Andean region: a tale of five countries.

The countries of the Andean Region (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela) have recently reported findings from drug use surveys. An integrated comparison of their results and the results from other countries is presented. A total of 24,108 people were surveyed. Lifetime prevalence of cocaine or coca paste use was between 0.8 and 3.0%. The highest prevalence of coca paste or cocaine use was found among individuals who were middle-age, middle-class, males, people who finished high school, those who had high income, and urban dwellers. The most frequent age of first use was 15 to 24 years. The study shows that coca and derivatives use is a public health problem that is affecting a productive segment of the population of this region.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence of restless legs syndrome among native South Americans residing in coastal and mountainous areas.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in native South Americans and identify the impact of geographic location. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: An epidemiological telephone survey of RLS symptoms involving natives from coastal and mountainous areas was performed during July 2, 2004, through September 28, 2004. The process consisted of 2 phases: the creation of the epidemiological instrument and the telephone survey. RESULTS: Five hundred adults, 250 from the mountainous regions and 250 from the coastal region (190 men and 310 women; age range, 25-85 years) were interviewed and subsequently divided on the basis of International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group criteria into those who had RLS (RLS+ group) and those who did not (RLS- group). Ten (2.0%) had RLS. The overall rate of RLS in adults living in the mountainous region at 2816 m above sea level (3.2% [8/250]) was significantly higher than that for adults living in the coastal region at 4 m above sea level (0.80% [2/250]; P = .002). The mean age of the RLS+ group was 49.5 years (SD, 15.20 years; range, 25-85 years). CONCLUSION: Native South American adults have a prevalence of RLS well below that reported in populations with European ancestry but similar to that in Asian and Turkish populations. Furthermore, in Ecuador, geographic differences were identified in areas of similar population density.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Hyperimmunoglobulinemia E in the Waorani, an isolated Amerindian population.

The Waorani Indians of Eastern Ecuador have the highest blood levels of immunoglobulin E that have been recorded in a human population. Using a radial immunodiffusion technique for IgE determination, we found the mean plasma IgE concentration for the entire sample (n = 227) to be 11,975 International Units per milliliter (normal: 5--500 IU/ml). The reason for the elevated IgE concentrations is unclear, although genetic factors and a high prevalence of parasitic infection may be involved. Atopic disease is rare among the Waorani as determined by medical history, physical examination, and immediate hypersensitivity skin tests. Our data are consistent with the association between hyperimmunoglobulinemia E and low prevalence of atopic disease in tropical populations. The significance of the findings with regard to the control of allergic disorders is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Infectious disease patterns in the Waorani, an isolated Amerindian population.

The Waorani Indians of eastern Ecuador provide a unique opportunity for studying exposure of an isolated human population to various infectious disease agents. Using serologic tests to determine antibody prevalence, skin test data, and stool examination for parasites, we have been able to construct a profile of infectious diseases which are endemic, and others which have been introduced into the Waorani population. These findings are compared with similar data reported from elsewhere in the Amazon. Serologic studies demonstrating the presence of antibody to measles and poliovirus type 3 after vaccination indicate that the Waorani respond normally to viral challenge with these agents. The question of genetic inability among aboriginal Amerindians to respond to viral agents is discussed. Finally, general recommendations are made regarding the future health care of the Waorani.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Vector competence of Simulium exiguum for Onchocerca volvulus: implications for the epidemiology of onchocerciasis.

In the transmission of human onchocerciasis, competence of the black fly vector influences intensity of transmission by regulating how many infective-stage larvae are produced. The disease is intensifying in Ecuador where Simulium exiguum is a highly efficient limitation-type vector comparable with African forest species in terms of the percentage of flies developing infective-stage larvae and the numbers of larvae per infected fly. In contrast, the endemic foci in Guatemala and southern Mexico have remained stable and closely circumscribed around larval development sites for S. ochraceum, a vector that exhibits a facilitation type of competence and must feed on people with comparatively high microfiladeremia to develop significant numbers of infective-stage larvae. This comparison indicates that assessments of vector competence should be included when planning regional control programs for onchocerciasis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dust mites but not grass pollen are important sensitizers in asthmatic children in the Ecuadorian Andes.

Grass pollen is an important cause of asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis in Europe and the United States. In the high Andes however, the role this pollen plays in respiratory allergies is unknown. In this study, we tested the prevalence of grass pollen sensitization in comparison to other aeroallergens on 433 asthmatic children living in Quito, Ecuador (the Andes mountain range, 2,800 m above sea level). The skin prick test technique was used. We found that the least sensitizing allergens of all were grass pollen (12.2%) and molds (7.4%) with p < 0.0001. A clear predominance of sensitization to the house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (77.8%) and Dermatophagoides farinae (76.9%), in comparison to the other aeroallergens tested, in terms of sensitization (p = 0.00000) and papule size (p < 0.0002), was observed. The most highly sensitized group consisted of asthmatics between 5 and 15 years of age (D. pteronyssinus 90.7%, D. farinae 87.5%, dog hair 37.4%, cat hair 43%, grass pollen 15.9% and molds 9.9%). In the total study group, males were only more sensitive than females to D. pteronyssinus (82.1% vs. 71.6%, p = 0.0009). We concluded that in the group of asthmatic children studied, grass pollen showed a low capacity of sensitization, even though it is widely found all over our city. The most sensitizing allergens were D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae, followed by cat and dog hair.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Outbreak of acute histoplasmosis in Chilean travelers to the ecuadorian jungle: an example of geographic medicine].

Eight Chilean teenagers traveled to Ecuador in January 1999, where they were bitten by mosquitoes, had contact with parakeets and lodged in poorly hygienic places; 6/8 visited for 5-10 minutes the interior of a bat cave. About a week later these 6 began with headache, myalgia and fever that lasted 2-3 weeks. 5/6 had dry cough with no respiratory distress. The index case was seen in the 2nd week of symptoms. A chest x-ray showed multiple nodular infiltrates as in the other five. Two had histoplasma serology, one was negative and the other positive at a low titer; histoplasmin skin test showed induration of 17-27 mm in all six. An acute histoplasmosis with massive exposure was diagnosed and treated with itraconazole for 3 weeks. All became asymptomatic and chest x-rays returned to normal. Histoplasmosis (non existent endogenously in Chile) is, among other geographic and tropical diseases, a risk for Chilean travelers. Awareness of this in the general population and development of expertise in these diseases by local health care providers is required.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Mothers' perceptions about their children's acute diarrhea in the Quito suburbs].

This study was performed in an urban marginal neighborhood of Quito (Ecuador). It aims to understand how the mothers with children (less than five years old) suffering from diarrhea are using the health center. We did 48 semi-directed interviews with mothers coming to the health center. The results show the various representations of diarrhea (symptomatic patterns and explanatory models: e.g. diarrhea due to supernatural cause, diarrhea related to heat and cold balance...) and the related processes of therapeutic search; For example, when the mother thinks that the diarrhea is due to a supernatural cause, she immediately goes to the traditional practitioner. The existing cultural gap between health practitioners of the center and the population of this neighborhood incite to consider differently the content of health education messages.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The factors associated with noncompliance with antimalarial treatment in Ecuadorian patients].

A total of 249 persons living in the northwest part of Ecuador with a clinical diagnosis of malaria confirmed by thick blood films were treated with chloroquine and primaquine according to the therapeutical system in force in the National Service for Eradication of Malaria. New clinical assessment and thick blood film were applied after 4 days in P. falciparum (n = 120) cases and after 8 days in P. vivax (n = 129) cases; patients were questioned about the compliance or non-compliance with the treatment, and the reasons for their acting in either way were studied. EPI-INFO 6.04 and SPSS PC 7.0 packages served to process the information: "kind adjustment test" (bondad de ajuste) abd factorial analysis of correspondences were used. The patient who daily took his/her pills for the number of days indicated, at the established intervals and at the right time was defined as a patient complying with the drug therapy. For every 3 patients complying with treatment, there were 2 who did not; non-compliance was not significantly related to age, sex, educational level, ethnic group, urban or rural setting or level of income, but learning about seriousness of the infection did help to compliance with the therapy. The reasons for non-compliance were mainly associated with drugs (side effects/reluctancy to take drugs), with the fact of forgetting to take them and of "getting cured quickly". The profile of the patient who did not comply with treatment corresponded to male, teenager, mixed race, poor and rural setting.

Adolescent↗