Cocirculation of 4 Dengue Virus Serotypes, Putumayo Amazon Basin, 2023-2024.

Latin America is experiencing an unprecedented dengue outbreak, causing an increased health burden. We document the cocirculation of dengue viruses 1-4 in Putumayo, a remote, underserved region at the border between Ecuador and Colombia. Dengue circulation in this largely unexplored territory represents a threat to public health in Putumayo and neighboring areas.

Lack of wastewater treatment in a small town drives the spread of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in irrigation waters.

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a critical and growing global challenge, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Ecuador has made great progress in connecting households to piped water supplies; however, the collection and treatment of domestic wastewater has lagged. This infrastructural gap may be accelerating the spread of ABR into surface waters used downstream for irrigation.

Multiplex PCR detection of enteric pathogens in a community-based birth cohort in Ecuador: comparison of xTAG-GPP and TaqMan array card assays.

We compared the performance of two multiplex platforms, Luminex xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen PanelⓇ and TaqMan Array Card, against a panel of 14 enteric pathogen targets in a community-based birth cohort in Ecuador. We found high levels of agreement and similar prevalence estimates across most pathogens.

Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) across Diverse Bacterial Species in Shrimp Aquaculture.

There is little information available on antibiotic resistance (ABR) within shrimp aquaculture environments. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in shrimp farming operations in Atacames, Ecuador. Water samples ( = 162) and shrimp samples ( = 54) were collected from three shrimp farming operations.

Transmission of dominant strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli between farms and retail stores in Ecuador: Genetic diversity and antimicrobial resistance.

Thermotolerant Campylobacter is an important zoonotic pathogen known for causing gastroenteritis in humans, with poultry as its primary reservoir. A total of 468 samples were collected, of which 335 were chicken carcass samples (representing the food component), and 133 were chicken caeca samples (representing the animal component). These samples underwent culture, with colonies examined under a microscope.

Detection of mobile colistin resistance genes and in from Ecuadorian children.

Colistin is one of the last-line treatments for multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. The emergence of mobile colistin resistance genes has driven global concern and triggered the need for surveillance. Our report reveals the identification of and in Ecuador by employing a proximity ligation technique.

Reevaluating human-microbiota symbiosis: Strain-level insights and evolutionary perspectives across animal species.

The prevailing consensus in scientific literature underscores the mutualistic bond between the microbiota and the human host, suggesting a finely tuned coevolutionary partnership that enhances the fitness of both parties. This symbiotic relationship has been extensively studied, with certain bacterial attributes being construed as hallmarks of natural selection favoring the benefit of the human host. Some scholars go as far as equating the intricate interplay between humans and their intestinal microbiota to that of endosymbiotic relationships, even conceptualizing microbiota as an integral human organ.

Comparison of metagenomic and traditional methods for diagnosis of enteric infections.

Unlabelled: Diarrheagenic , collectively known as DEC, is a leading cause of diarrhea, particularly in children in low- and middle-income countries. Diagnosing infections caused by different DEC pathotypes traditionally relies on the cultivation and identification of virulence genes, a resource-intensive and error-prone process. Here, we compared culture-based DEC identification with shotgun metagenomic sequencing of whole stool using 35 randomly drawn samples from a cohort of diarrhea-afflicted patients.

Endogenous origin of infecting hospitalized patients in Ecuador.

Recent evidence suggests that , a bacterium that has the ability to cause deadly infections in hospitalized patients, could originate in the patient's own flora. We employed the Oxford Nanopore platform to obtain whole genome sequences (WGS) from clinical and rectal screen strains belonging to 15 patients from two hospitals. Our study found evidence that clinical and rectal isolates were clonal, with some evidence suggesting that the infecting strain was present in the patient's intestine at the time of admission, ruling out hospital acquisition.

IS drives the dissemination of genes in an Ecuadorian community.

The horizontal gene transfer events are the major contributors to the current spread of CTX-M-encoding genes, the most common extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), and many clinically crucial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. This study presents evidence of the critical role of IS transposable element for the mobility of gene among isolates from children and domestic animals in the community. We suggest that the nucleotide sequences of IS- could be used to study transmission between humans, domestic animals, and the environment, because understanding of the dissemination patterns of AMR genes is critical to implement effective measures to slow down the dissemination of these clinically important genes.

Presence of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing in Food-Producing and Companion Animals and Wildlife on Small-Holder Farms of Floreana Island, Galápagos Islands.

Antimicrobial resistance (AR) has led to increasing human and animal morbidity and mortality and negative consequences for the environment. AR among (EC) is on the rise, with serious concerns about extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL-EC). In the Galápagos Islands, where antimicrobials are available without a prescription, growing demands for food production can drive antimicrobial use.

Why are so many enteric pathogen infections asymptomatic? Pathogen and gut microbiome characteristics associated with diarrhea symptoms and carriage of diarrheagenic in northern Ecuador.

A high proportion of enteric infections, including those caused by diarrheagenic (DEC), are asymptomatic for diarrhea. The factors responsible for the development of diarrhea symptoms, or lack thereof, remain unclear. Here, we used DEC isolate genome and whole stool microbiome data from a case-control study of diarrhea in Ecuador to examine factors associated with diarrhea symptoms accompanying DEC carriage.

Risk factors for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli carriage among children in a food animal-producing region of Ecuador: A repeated measures observational study.

Background: The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria may be driven by human-animal-environment interactions, especially in regions with limited restrictions on antibiotic use, widespread food animal production, and free-roaming domestic animals. In this study, we aimed to identify risk factors related to commercial food animal production, small-scale or "backyard" food animal production, domestic animal ownership, and practices related to animal handling, waste disposal, and antibiotic use in Ecuadorian communities.

Methods And Findings: We conducted a repeated measures study from 2018 to 2021 in 7 semirural parishes of Quito, Ecuador to identify determinants of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E.

Leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment to assess changes in antibiotic use and antibiotic-resistant E. coli carriage in semi-rural Ecuador.

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had significant impacts on health systems, population dynamics, public health awareness, and antibiotic stewardship, which could affect antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) emergence and transmission. In this study, we aimed to compare knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of antibiotic use and ARB carriage in Ecuadorian communities before versus after the COVID-19 pandemic began. We leveraged data collected for a repeated measures observational study of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E.

Distribution of Escherichia coli Pathotypes along an Urban-Rural Gradient in Ecuador.

Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries. Diarrhea is associated with a wide array of etiological agents including bacterial, viral, and parasitic enteropathogens. Previous studies have captured between- but not within-country heterogeneities in enteropathogen prevalence and severity.

Comparative Methods for Quantification of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Environmental and Engineered Sludge Samples.

This study aimed to compare microscopic counting, culture, and quantitative or real-time PCR (qPCR) to quantify sulfate-reducing bacteria in environmental and engineered sludge samples. Four sets of primers that amplified the and gene encoding the two key enzymes of the sulfate-reduction pathway were initially tested. qPCR standard curves were constructed using genomic DNA from an SRB suspension and dilutions of an enriched sulfate-reducing sludge.

Evaluating the relationship between community water and sanitation access and the global burden of antibiotic resistance: an ecological study.

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a leading cause of death, with the highest burden occurring in low-resource settings. There is little evidence on the potential for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access to reduce antibiotic resistance in humans. We aimed to determine the relationship between the burden of antibiotic resistance in humans and community access to drinking water and sanitation.

Population genomics of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli uncovers high connectivity between urban and rural communities in Ecuador.

Human movement may be an important driver of transmission dynamics for enteric pathogens but has largely been underappreciated except for international 'travelers' diarrhea or cholera. Phylodynamic methods, which combine genomic and epidemiological data, are used to examine rates and dynamics of disease matching underlying evolutionary history and biogeographic distributions, but these methods often are not applied to enteric bacterial pathogens. We used phylodynamics to explore the phylogeographic and evolutionary patterns of diarrheagenic E.

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.

Risk factors for third-generation cephalosporin-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli carriage in domestic animals of semirural parishes east of Quito, Ecuador.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and other antimicrobial resistant (AR) Escherichia coli threaten human and animal health worldwide. This study examined risk factors for domestic animal colonization with ceftriaxone-resistant (CR) and ESBL-producing E. coli in semirural parishes east of Quito, Ecuador, where small-scale food animal production is common.

A Chikungunya Outbreak in a Dengue-endemic Region in Rural Northern Coastal Ecuador.

Dengue virus (DENV) reemerged in the Americas in the 1980s and 1990s, whereas chikungunya virus (CHIKV) emerged in 2014. Although CHIKV produced large epidemics from 2014 to 2017, dengue fever has been the prominent arboviral disease identified through passive surveillance, bringing to question the degree to which cases are misdiagnosed. To address this concern, we conducted an active household-based surveillance of arboviral-like illnesses in six rural and remote communities in northern coastal Ecuador from May 2019 to February 2020.

Evaluation of changes in the faecal resistome associated with children's exposure to domestic animals and food animal production.

Objectives: The paediatric gut microbiota is a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes. Environmental factors such as a child's exposure to faecal contamination and antimicrobial resistance genes of animal origin likely shape the resistome of infants and children. This study measured how different levels of exposure to domestic or food animals affect the structure of the intestinal resistome in children between 1 and 7 years of age.