Respiratory pathogens carriage in guinea pigs raised as livestock in Ecuador: A proxy to study a neglected reservoir for zoonotic transmission in the Andean Region.

In the Andean region of South America, guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are raised as livestock in close contact with other domestic animals and humans. Although the susceptibility of guinea pigs to being affected by a wide range of diseases is well known as a laboratory animal model, there are a few reports about the potential role of zoonotic pathogens in livestock guinea pigs. In this work, we analyzed the nasopharyngeal carriage of respiratory pathogenic viruses and bacteria in guinea pigs from farms in Ecuador.

COVID-19 outbreaks in endangered Indigenous groups from the Amazonia during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected Latin American countries, with countless COVID-19 cases and deaths. In countries like Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, the public health system collapsed and the lack of testing capacity did not allow control of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, rural and Indigenous communities in these countries, particularly isolated ones like those in the Amazon Basin, were neglected in terms of access to COVID-19 testing and medical aid.

Experience with Dog Sterilization Campaigns for Surveillance of Zoonotic Diseases in Ecuador: Building Bridges with Animal Organizations to Improve One Health Research.

The extensive population of free-roaming dogs poses significant public health risks in low- and middle-income countries because of their potential role in spreading infectious and zoonotic diseases. This article discusses the successful collaboration between academia and nonprofit animal welfare organizations in Ecuador to enhance One Health surveillance despite limited research resources. This collaborative model could serve as a valuable example for other countries in the Americas and globally, where community-based strategies may improve One Health policies.

Molecular epidemiology of in Ecuador: Recent advances and future challenges.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the three leading causes of death from a single infectious agent, (MTB), together with COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS. This disease places a heavy burden on countries with low socio-economic development and aggravates existing inequalities. For the year 2021, estimations for Ecuador were 8500 TB cases, of which 370 were associated to multiple drug resistance (TB-MDR), and 1160 deaths.

The Impact of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis RDRio Subfamily on Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Latin America: A Comprehensive Review.

Latin American region is a high-burden setting for tuberculosis where multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is among the main challenge to move forward the End TB Strategy goals. It has been shown that MDR-TB is associated to certain Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) lineages like L2-Beijing sublineage or L4-LAM. Although L2-Beijing is present in South America, the L4 lineage is the most prevalent with values ranging from 75% to 99% depending on the country.

A first insight into seropositivity of Neospora caninum and associated risk factors in free-roaming dogs from Ecuador.

Neosporosis is a worldwide parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum. It can cause economic losses to farmers due to its relationship with abortions and neonatal mortality in cows. Dogs play a key role in its spread as they are considered definitive hosts.

Prevalence, drug resistance, and genotypic diversity of the RD subfamily of in Ecuador: a retrospective analysis for years 2012-2016.

Introduction: A major sublineage within the (MTB) LAM family characterized by a new in-frame fusion gene Rv3346c/55c was discovered in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 2007, called RD, associated to drug resistance. The few studies about prevalence of MTB RD strains in Latin America reported values ranging from 3% in Chile to 69.8% in Venezuela, although no information is available for countries like Ecuador.

Rapid and accurate identification and differentiation of and non-tuberculous mycobacteria using PCR kits available in a high-burden setting.

Infections caused by mycobacteria, including complex (MTBC) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), are a major public health issue worldwide. An accurate diagnosis of mycobacterial species is a challenge for surveillance and treatment, particularly in high-burden settings usually associated with low- and middle-income countries. In this study, we analyzed the clinical performance of two commercial PCR kits designed for the identification and differentiation of MTBC and NTM, available in a high-burden setting such as Ecuador.

A first insight into tuberculosis transmission at the border of Ecuador and Colombia: a retrospective study of the population structure of in Esmeraldas province.

Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern in Ecuador and Colombia, considering that both countries are high-burden TB settings. Molecular epidemiology is crucial to understand the transmission dynamics of complex (MTBC) and to identify active transmission clusters of regional importance.

Methods: We studied the potential transmission of TB between Colombia and Ecuador through the analysis of the population structure of MTBC lineages circulating in the Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas at the border with Colombia.

Population structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in El Oro: A first insight into Ecuador-Peru tuberculosis transmission.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern in Ecuador and Peru, both settings of high burden of drug resistance TB. Molecular epidemiology tools are important to understand the transmission dynamics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex (MTBC) and to track active transmission clusters of regional importance. This study is the first to address the transmission of TB between Peru and Ecuador through the population structure of MTBC lineages circulating in the Ecuadorian border province of "El Oro".

Virological evidence of the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions against COVID-19 in Ecuador, a resource-limited setting.

Ecuador had substantial COVID-19-mortality during 2020 despite early implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Resource-limited settings like Ecuador have high proportions of informal labour which entail high human mobility, questioning efficacy of NPIs. We performed a retrospective observational study in Ecuador's national reference laboratory for viral respiratory infections during March 2020-February 2021 using stored respiratory specimens from 1950 patients, corresponding to 2.

Dog bites as a zoonotic risk in Ecuador: Need for the implementation of a One Health approach.

Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease that can infect all mammals and the main route of transmission to human is attributed to dog bites. Due to the limited information available about the rabies vaccination coverage, although Ecuador is supposed to be free of rabies, we conducted a retrospective study of the epidemiological surveillance records on the notification of dog attacks to humans in Guayaquil, the most populated city in Ecuador. The results showed an annual incidence rate of 105.

A recent distemper virus outbreak in the growing canine populations of Galapagos Islands: a persistent threat for the endangered Galapagos Sea Lion.

Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) is a highly contagious virus that can cross mammalian species barriers and has widespread impacts on both domestic animals and wildlife populations. This study describes a recent outbreak of CDV in the Galapagos Islands in 2019. A total number of 125 dogs with clinical signs compatible with CDV were included in this study.

Leptospirosis in Ecuador: Current Status and Future Prospects.

The location of Ecuador-an equatorial nation-favors the multiplication and dispersal of the genus both on the Pacific Coast and in the Amazon tropical ecoregions. Nevertheless, leptospirosis epidemiology has not been fully addressed, even though the disease has been recognized as a significant public health problem in the country. The purpose of this literature review is to update knowledge on the epidemiology and geographical distribution of spp.

SARS-CoV-2 transmission from infected owner to household dogs and cats is associated with food sharing.

Objectives: Several cases of reverse transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from human to pets were reported during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the World Organization for Animal Health has recommended to improve SARS-CoV-2 surveillance on household animals to assess the risk of transmission between species. After such recommendation, we studied the potential SARS-CoV-2 infection in household dogs and cats in the city of Guayaquil, the most populated city in Ecuador.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in free roaming dogs from the Amazonian jungle.

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there were several reports of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from human to animals, mostly to companion cats and dogs but also to free ranging wild species like minks and deers. Under this scenario, SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in domestic animals to assess the risk of transmission between species have been suggested by the OIE. Here we present a case report of SARS-CoV-2 infection in free roaming dogs, found at a rural indigenous community from the Ecuadorian Amazonia.

First Report of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 (Alpha Variant) in Ecuador, January 2021.

On January 5 2021, Ecuadorian COVID-19 genomic surveillance program detected a suspicious case of the B.1.1.

High seroprevalence of anti- spp. antibodies in domestic and wild mammals from a mixed use rescue center in Ecuador: Lessons for "One Health" based conservation strategies.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution that affects humans, domestic and wild animals. This study evaluates the frequency of anti- spp. antibodies in companion, livestock and wild mammals from a mixed use rescue center on Guayaquil, the main city of Ecuador.