PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “ECUADOR”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

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

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Onchocerciasis in Ecuador: prevalence of infection on the Ecuador-Colombia border in the Province of Esmeraldas.

The prevalence of onchocerciasis infection was determined in communities on 7 rivers located in the northern area of the canton San Lorenzo, province of Esmeraldas. Diagnosis of the infection was obtained by skin biopsies and recombinant-antigen based-serology. No evidence of infection was detected in 9 communities studied along the Rio Mataje, which forms the frontier between Ecuador and Colombia, nor in 10 adjacent communities located on 5 interior rivers. Evidence for Onchocerca volvulus infection was found in 4 communities on the Rio Tululvi with the following prevalence: La Boca (3.5% by biopsy and 3.9% by serology), Guayabal (9.1% by both biopsy and serology), La Ceiva (51.5% by biopsy and 53% by serology), and Salidero (4% by biopsy and 7.7% by serology). A few individuals in these communities were seropositive for O. volvulus in the absence of detectable dermal microfilariae: these might harbor very light or prepatent infections. No clinical disease attributable to onchocerciasis was found. The infected communities will be included in the ivermectin-based National Control Program for the disease, with no evidence of the infection having extended north of the Ecuadorian-colombian border.

Colombia↗
PubMed1995

Infectious Disease in Ecuador.

The republic of Ecuador, which has a population of 10 million, is one of the smallest of the Andean countries in South America. Although it covers only an area of 110,000 square miles, it yields an extraordinary diversity of infectious diseases. Public health problems reflect socioeconomic realities and uniquely diverse climates, cultures, and geography. Equador extends from the Galapagos Islands 600 miles to the west, to inhabited Andean highlands with altitudes over 15,000 feet, and to both the coastal and Amazonian rain forests. Health statistics in Ecuador are widely variable by western standards. Life expectancy is 64-68 years, and infant mortality rates are up to 60 per 1000. The physical and geographic barriers to health care facilities are highly variable in different provinces. This was evidenced dramatically by recent death rates from cholera in 1991-92, which ranged from 0% in Guayaquil to over 50% in isolated highland villages or in the Oriente (eastern provinces). Major cities, provincial borders, and selected topographic features are illustrated in the accompanying map of Ecuador (Fig. 1.) This review reports data on some of the major infectious diseases existent in Ecuador. Emphasis is on the viral, bacterial, protozoal, or helminthic diseases, which are uncommon elsewhere in the world, but which are prevalent, or especially important to public health officials in Ecuador. Table 1 lists reportable disease categories in Ecuador, 1986-1993. Recognition of the diversity of infectious agents endemic to Ecuador may prove useful for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases in international travelers.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2025

Genomic evidence of active circulation of Orthobunyavirus in Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: Between 2023 and 2025, the largest Oropouche fever epidemic recorded in history unfolded across Brazil seeding cases throughout Latin America. In 2024, three cases of Oropouche fever were reported in Ecuador. METHODS: An Oropouche fever case detected in Bolívar Province in June 2024 was preliminarily diagnosed as Oropouche virus (OROV) through RT-qPCR and was further processed using next-generation sequencing. RESULTS: Segments L and S of this virus forms a monophyly with another sequence circulating in Ecuador in April 2024 (i.e. PQ863772.1 isolate Ecuador traveler), with an uncertain province origin. Both sequences differ from previous OROV Ecuadorian sequences detected in 2016 and from the OROV strain driving the 2023-2025 epidemic in Brazil. CONCLUSIONS: Orthobunyavirus oropoucheense has an endemic circulation in Ecuador. Genomic surveillance of Orthobunyavirus in Ecuador and other regions should be actively pursued-independent of epidemics-to anticipate potential zoonotic outbreaks.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Smoking in Ecuador: prevalence, knowledge, and attitudes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of, attitudes towards, and knowledge about cigarette smoking in Ecuador in 1991. DESIGN: Survey using in-person interviews; stratified and multiple regression analyses. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Eight hundred people (> or = 18 years old) representative of the adult populations in the cities of Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Smoking prevalence, daily cigarette consumption, reasons for smoking, desire to quit smoking, knowledge about the health effects of smoking. RESULTS: About a third of the population in the two major cities of Ecuador are cigarette smokers. Men are not only more likely to be smokers than women (45% vs 17%, respectively), but when they do smoke, they also smoke significantly more cigarettes per day (60% more) than women. Cigarette smoking appears to be more common among younger populations, and among more educated people. Housekeepers are significantly less likely to be smokers compared with people in other occupations. About 80% of smokers consume fewer than 10 cigarettes per day. In Quito, a 40% increase in the number of cigarettes smoked per day on weekdays compared with weekends suggests an effect of the environment on smoking patterns. About 60% of smokers stated their desire to quit smoking, and there was almost universal knowledge about the harmful effects of cigarette smoking on the health of active and passive smokers. CONCLUSIONS: About a third of the population in the two major cities of Ecuador reported smoking cigarettes. Smoking is more common among men, those of younger age, and the more educated. The findings in this study should help the development of antismoking policies in Ecuador and other countries in the region.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[Characteristics of the cholera epidemic of 1998 in Ecuador during El Niño].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the outbreak of cholera that occurred in Ecuador in 1998 during the El Nino weather phenomenon, to present data on the resistance of the circulating strains of Vibrio cholerae to antimicrobial drugs, and to describe the preventive measures taken by health authorities in order to reduce the impact of the disease. METHODS: The epidemiological data came from three sources: 1) the registry of the National Bureau of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, 2) the registry of the National Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and 3) the final report of the Training Program for the Fight against Cholera and Diarrheal Diseases. Isolation, identification, and serotyping was done of V. cholerae in the feces samples from 10% of the suspected cholera cases that were identified between 1 January and 31 December 1998. The suspected cases were defined by the sudden appearance of watery diarrhea, with or without dehydration, in epidemic areas. The strains that were isolated were submitted to a standard antibiogram by the diffusion method, in which the following antibiotics were tested: amoxicillin, tetracycline, trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole, vibriostatic compound O/129, nalidixic acid, erythromycin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, gentamycin, chloramphenicol, and colistin. RESULTS: In 1998 there were 3 755 cases reported in 17 of the 21 provinces of the country. This corresponds to an incidence rate of 53.96 per 100 000 population. Thirty seven patients died, for a case fatality rate of 0.97%. A total of 301 strains of V. cholerae were isolated in the 637 suspected-cholera samples that were processed; all corresponded to V. cholerae O1, El Tor, subtype Ogawa. All of the strains were sensitive to tetracycline and to quinolones; 5.6% of the strains were resistant to erythromycin. The only strain resistant to amoxicillin was multiresistant. Officials in Ecuador implemented a series of preventive measures, and the surveillance system was strengthened in order to reduce the impact of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The preventive measures helped to reduce the impact of the 1998 cholera epidemic in Ecuador, in terms of both incidence and the case fatality rate. Given the overall sensitivity of the strains to the antimicrobial drugs, there is no reason to change the current treatment regimens in the country. Taking into account the frequency of natural disasters in Ecuador and the relation that they have to the reappearance of cholera, interventions should be designed that make it possible to prevent and control the reappearance of the disease and its spread to the most vulnerable provinces of the central Sierra mountainous region and the eastern part of the country.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2002

Differential characteristics in the chemical composition of bananas from Tenerife (Canary Islands) and Ecuador.

The contents of moisture, protein, ash, ascorbic acid, glucose, fructose, total sugars, and total and insoluble fiber were determined in cultivars of bananas (Gran Enana and Pequeña Enana) harvested in Tenerife and in bananas (Gran Enana) from Ecuador. The chemical compositions in the bananas from Tenerife and from Ecuador were clearly different. The cultivar did not influence the chemical composition, except for insoluble fiber content. Variations of the chemical composition were observed in the bananas from Tenerife according to cultivation method (greenhouse and outdoors), farming style (conventional and organic), and region of production (north and south). A highly significant (r = 0.995) correlation between glucose and fructose was observed. Correlations of ash and protein contents tend to separate the banana samples according to origin. A higher content of protein, ash, and ascorbic acid was observed as the length of the banana decreased. Applying factor analysis, the bananas from Ecuador were well separated from the bananas produced in Tenerife. An almost total differentiation (91.7%) between bananas from Tenerife and bananas from Ecuador was obtained by selecting protein, ash, and ascorbic acid content and applying stepwise discriminant analysis. By selecting the bananas Pequeña Enana and using discriminant analysis, a clear separation of the samples according to the region of production and farming style was observed.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2004

Is Lutzomyia serrana (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) present in Ecuador?

We describe a multivariate metric comparison of three sandfly species showing strong differences in size, which questions the geographical distribution of one of them. Two species are represented by a single population (L. robusta and L. guilvardae) and one by two populations (L. serrana). All of them belong to the series serrana (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae). The morphometric data confirm that L. guilvardae is a distinct species. However, they suggest that L. robusta and L. serrana in Ecuador are the same taxon, and that it is distinguishable from the population of L. serrana in Bolivia. A multilocus enzyme electrophoresis analysis comparing L. serrana in Bolivia and L. robusta in Ecuador adds further evidence that these two populations are distinct species. Thus, our data seem to indicate that, in Ecuador, the population previously identified as L. serrana is actually the same species as the allopatric population previously identified as L. robusta. Accepting L. serrana in Ecuador as small-sized L. robusta, the resulting geographic distribution of this latter becomes in closer agreement with ecology and epidemiology.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Biomass burning in the Amazon-fertilizer for the mountaineous rain forest in Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: Biomass burning is a source of carbon, sulfur and nitrogen compounds which, along with their photochemically generated reaction products, can be transported over very long distances, even traversing oceans. Chemical analyses of rain and fogwater samples collected in the mountaineous rain forest of south Ecuador show frequent episodes of high sulfate and nitrate concentration, from which annual deposition rates are derived comparable to those found in polluted central Europe. As significant anthropogenic sources are lacking at the research site it is suspected that biomass burning upwind in the Amazon basin is the major source of the enhanced sulfate and nitrate imput. METHODS: Regular rain and fogwater sampling along an altitude profile between 1800 and 3185 m has been carried out in the Podocarpus National Park close to the Rio SanFrancisco (3 degrees 58'S, 79 degrees 5'W) in southern Ecuador. pH values, electrical conductivity and chemical ion composition were measured at the TUM-WZW using standard methods. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Results reported cover over one year from March 2002 until May 2003. Annual deposition rates of sulfate were calculated ranging between 4 and 13 kg S/ha year, almost as high as in polluted central Europe. Nitrogen deposition via ammonia (1.5-4.4 kg N/ha year) and nitrate (0.5-0.8 kg N/ha year) was found to be lower but still much higher than to be expected in such pristine natural forest environment. By means of back trajectory analyses it can be shown that most of the enhanced sulfur and nitrogen deposition is most likely due to forest fires far upwind of the ecuadorian sampling site, showing a seasonal variation, with sources predominantly found in the East/North East during January-March (Colombia, Venezuala, Northern Brazil) and East/SouthEast during July-September (Peru, Brazil). CONCLUSION: Our results show that biomass burning in the Amazon basin is the predominant source of sulfur and nitrogen compounds that fertilize the mountaineous rain forest in south Ecuador. RECOMMENDATION AND OUTLOOK: The mountaineous rain forest in south Ecuador has developed on poor and acid soils, with low nutrient availability. The additional ferilization resulting from anthropogenic biomass burning constitutes a significant disturbance of this ecosystem, its functioning and biodiversity. Thus it is planned to employ isotope analyses for quantifying the pathways. of nitrate and sulfate deposition in these natural forests.

Air Movements↗
PubMed2001

Biogeography of Triatominae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Ecuador: implications for the design of control strategies.

Chagas disease control strategies strongly depend on the triatomine vector species involved in Trypanosoma cruzi transmission within each area. Here we report the results of the identification of specimens belonging to various species of Triatominae captured in Ecuador (15 species from 17 provinces) and deposited in the entomological collections of the Catholic University of Ecuador (Quito), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (Brazil), the Natural History Museum London (UK), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK), the National Institute of Hygiene (Quito), and the Vozandes Hospital (Quito). A critical review of published information and new field records are presented. We analysed these data in relation to the life zones where triatomines occur (11 life zones, excluding those over 2,200 m altitude), and provide biogeographical maps for each species. These records are discussed in terms of epidemiological significance and design of control strategies. Findings relevant to the control of the main vector species are emphasised. Different lines of evidence suggest that Triatoma dimidiata is not native to Ecuador-Peru, and that synanthropic populations of Rhodnius ecuadoriensis in southern Ecuador-northern Peru might be isolated from their sylvatic conspecifics. Local eradication of T. dimidiata and these R. ecuadoriensis populations might therefore be attainable. However, the presence of a wide variety of native species indicates the necessity for a strong longitudinal surveillance system.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

A review of bartonellosis in Ecuador and Colombia.

A review of the literature regarding bartonellosis or Carrion's disease in Colombia and Ecuador is presented, together with observations made by the author in areas of both countries from which the disease has been recorded. There is evidence from pre-Columbian artifacts that verruga peruana, the cutaneous form of the disease, was present in Ecuador at least 1,000 years prior to the arrival of Europeans. These artifacts were discovered in the coastal province of Manabi, a low-lying area very different from the high Andean valleys of Peru with which bartonellosis is normally associated. Most of the cases recorded in recent years from this coastal area. The disease does not appear to have occurred in Colombia before the 1930s and only one case has been reported during the past 40 years. The possibility of many more subclinical cases being present in both Ecuador and Colombia is discussed, together with the possibility that the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic will reveal a higher prevalence among the inhabitants of endemic areas than previously suspected. Although the suspected vector of Bartonella bacilliformis, the sand fly Lutzomyia verrucarum, has not been recorded from Ecuador or Colombia, related species are present in endemic areas and may be involved in transmission.

Bartonella Infections↗
PubMed1992

The cholera epidemic in Ecuador: towards an endemic in Latin America.

We present an epidemiological study of the first wave of cholera in Ecuador in 1991. One month after the 7th cholera pandemic hit the Pacific coast of Peru, the disease reached the coast of Ecuador and spread to the rest of the country within a few weeks. One year later, 46,320 cases have been notified, giving an incidence of 481 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The overall mortality rate has been low (697 deaths, i.e. 1.50%), although there have been large differences between the various provinces: in the Andes (Sierra), for example, rates above 8% have been recorded. The first wave peaked about eight weeks after the first case, with 3400 new cases per week throughout the country. This was followed by a gradual decrease towards a baseline of 250-500 new cases per week. A resurgence was observed in most coastal and Andean provinces from November 1991 onwards. The kinetics of the epidemic are compatible with an endemic implantation of the disease in Ecuador, as is probably the case in the entire intertropical Pacific coast region of Latin America. From the data presented, the latin-american episode of the 7th pandemic starting on the Pacific coast, is characterized by a very high attack rate and a low mortality rate as compared to Africa, and the unexpected involvement of populations living on the high Andean plateaux. It is probable from the results collected in Ecuador that cholera will become endemic in Latin America.

Cholera↗
PubMed2006

Globalization and local response to epidemiological overlap in 21st century Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: Third World countries are confronted by a complex overlay of two sets of health problems. Traditional maladies, including communicable diseases, malnutrition, and environmental health hazards coexist with emerging health challenges, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and increasing levels of obesity. Using Ecuador as an example, this paper proposes a conceptual framework for linking epidemiologic overlap to emerging social structures and processes at the national and global levels. DISCUSSION: Epidemiologic trends can be seen as part of broader processes related to globalization, but this does not imply that globalization is a monolithic force that inevitably and uniformly affects nations, communities, and households in the same manner. Rather, characteristics and forms of social organization at the subnational level can shape the way that globalization takes place. Thus, globalization has affected Ecuador in specific ways and is, at the same time, intimately related to the form in which the epidemiologic transition has transpired in that country. SUMMARY: Ecuador is among neither the poorest nor the wealthiest countries and its situation may illuminate trends in other parts of the world. As in other countries, insertion into the global economy has not taken place in a vacuum; rather, Ecuador has experienced unprecedented social and demographic change in the past several decades, producing profound transformation in its social structure. Examples of local represent alternatives to centralized health systems that do not effectively address the complex overlay of traditional and emerging health problems.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1987

Association of electrocardiographic abnormalities with seropositivity to Trypanosoma cruzi in Ecuador.

In highland Ecuador (province of El Oro), electrocardiograms (ECGs) were taken and analysed from 340 subjects, of whom 154 were seropositive to Trypanosoma cruzi by indirect haemagglutination test. Abnormal ECGs were present in 40.3% of seropositive individuals and 8.1% of seronegatives, and were slightly more common in seropositive males than in seropositive females. In seropositive individuals, the prevalence of abnormal ECG progressively increased with age and reached its peak level of 64.0% in the age group over 60 years, implying that Chagas disease in Ecuador produces little mortality among seropositive individuals. The most common ECG alterations were ventricular conduction defects: 26 of 117 seropositive individuals in the age group over 40 years had complete right bundle branch block. The frequency of atrioventricular block and arrhythmias was also associated with seropositivity to T. cruzi. A further ECG examination in lowland (province of Guayas) showed that the prevalence of abnormal ECGs there was significantly lower than that in highlands. These results suggest possible differences between T. cruzi strains in the two geographical areas of Ecuador.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment of snake bites by Bothrops species and Lachesis muta in Ecuador: laboratory screening of candidate antivenoms.

Bothrops xanthogrammus/asper, B. atrox and Lachesis muta are probably responsible for most cases of severe envenoming in Ecuador. In recent years, the most widely used antivenom ('Myn' Ronti, imported from Mexico) has proved clinically ineffective. There is an urgent need to identify an effective alternative for clinical testing. Five antivenoms with activity against Bothrops venoms were compared using standard World Health Organization rodent and in vitro assays: (i) 'Myn', Ronti Mexico SA ('B. atrox', 'Crotalus terrificus'), (ii) Instituto Butantan (Bothrops polyvalent, Brazil), (iii) Instituto Nacional de Hygiene y Medicina Tropical (Bothrops polyvalent, Ecuador), (iv) Instituto Nacional de Salud (B. asper, C. durissus and Lachesis muta, Colombia), and (v) Laboratorios Probiol (Bothrops, Lachesis and Crotalus, Colombia). The venoms against which these antivenoms were tested were Ecuadorian B. atrox, B. asper and B. xanthogrammus. Brazilian antivenom proved to be the most effective, followed by the Ecudorian and Colombian antivenoms. Mexican antivenom was completely ineffective in neutralizing the lethal effects of Ecuadorian Bothrops venoms. Monospecific Brazilian L. muta antivenom (Instituto Butantan) proved effective against Ecuadorian L. muta venom, but the Colombian polyspecific antivenoms did not. Clinical trials of Brazilian and Ecuadorian antivenoms are planned in the Amazon region of Ecuador in the near future.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Primary health services in Ecuador: comparative costs, quality, and equity of care in Ministry of Health and rural social security facilities.

This study of costs, quality and financial equity of primary health services in Ecuador, based on 1985 data, examines three assumptions, common in international health, concerning Ministry of Health (MOH) and Social Security (SS) programs. The assumptions are that MOH services are less costly than SS services, that they are of lower quality than SS services, and that MOH programs are more equitable in terms of the distribution of funds available for PHC among different population groups. Full costs of a range of primary health services were estimated by standard accounting techniques for 15 typical health care establishments, 8 operated by the MOH and 7 by the rural SS program (RSSP), serving rural and peri-urban populations in the two major geographical regions of Ecuador. Consistent with the conventional premise, MOH average costs were much lower than RSSP costs for several important types of services, especially those provided by physicians. Little difference was found for dental care. The lower MOH physician service costs appeared to be attributable primarily to lower personnel compensation (only partially offset by lesser productivity) and to greater economies of scope. Several measures of the quality of care were applied, with varying results. Based on staff differences and patterns of expenditures on resource inputs, notably drugs, RSSP quality appeared higher, as assumed. However, contrary to expectation, a questionnaire assessment of staff knowledge and procedures favored the MOH for quality. Program equity was judged in terms of per capita budgeted expenditures (additional measures, such as the likelihood of receiving necessary care, would have required household survey data beyond the scope of this program-based study). The results support the assumption of greater MOH financial equity, as its program reveals less variation in budgeted expenditures between different population groups covered. Additional evidence of equity, using other indicators, would be helpful in future research. The paper's findings have policy implications not only for Ecuador's health sector but also for policy-makers in other countries at similar levels of socioeconomic development. These implications are spelled out in order to guide officials wrestling with issues of efficiency, quality, and equity as they search for the best use of scarce resources to promote health.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed2006

Sensitization and exposure to house dust and storage mites in high-altitude areas of ecuador.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have addressed exposure and sensitization to mite allergens in Andean countries. OBJECTIVES: To identify the main mite species in 3 locations at different altitudes in Ecuador and to verify skin test reactivity to various mite species in allergic individuals in Quito, Ecuador. METHODS: Mattress dust samples were collected in Quito (2,800 m above sea level), Cuenca (2,500 m above sea level), and Guayaquil (sea level). Mite species present in the samples were isolated, identified, and counted. Der p 1 and Der f 1 levels were measured using monoclonal antibody-based enzyme immunoassays. Four hundred thirty-five patients in Quito diagnosed as having allergic rhinitis or asthma underwent skin testing with commercial extracts of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, Blomia tropicalis, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, and Lepidoglyphus destructor. In addition, Glycyphagus domesticus, Acarus siro, and Aleuroglyphus ovatus were tested in 362, 262, and 279 patients, respectively. RESULTS: Twenty-one mite species were identified. Large populations of mites were detected above 2,500 m of altitude. All the dust samples contained detectable levels of Der p 1 or Der f 1. Positive skin prick test reactions to D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae, B. tropicalis, L. destructor, T. putrescentiae, A. ovatus, A. siro, and G. domesticus were obtained in 60.9%, 56.8%, 17.0%, 19.3%, 10.6%, 15.8%, 8.8%, and 11.0% of the patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Most analyzed mattresses contained several species of mites. Mite allergen levels were high. This study confirms the importance of house dust and storage mite allergens in Ecuador in areas above 2,500 m of altitude, where humidity remains high year round.

Acaridae↗
PubMed2003

A molecular phylogeographic study based on DNA sequences from individual metacercariae of Paragonimus mexicanus from Guatemala and Ecuador.

A molecular phylogeographic study of Paragonimus mexicanus collected from Guatemala and Ecuador was performed. Genomic DNA was extracted from individual metacercariae, and two gene regions (partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) and the second internal transcribed spacer of the nuclear ribosomal gene repeat (ITS2)) were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sequences segregated in a phylogenetic tree according to their geographic origins. ITS2 sequences from Ecuador and Guatemala differed at only one site. Pairwise distances among CO1 sequences within a country were always lower than between countries. Nevertheless, genetic distances between countries were less than between geographical forms of P. westermani that have been suggested to be distinct species. This result suggests that populations from Guatemala and Ecuador are genetically differentiated perhaps at the level of subspecies.

Animals↗