New research perspectives on the

ecoepidemiology of neglected intestinal

helminthiasis in urban-marginal and rural

areas of the province of Guayas

Nuevas perspectivas de Investigación sobre Ecoepidemiología

de las helmintiasis intestinales desatendidas en zonas

urbanomarginales y rurales de la provincia del Guayas

Roberto Darwin Coello-Peralta

Abstract: Neglected intestinal helminthiases are very prevalent

worldwide and represent a serious problem of: environmental

contamination (presence of feces with infective parasitic forms

dispersed in the soil), animal health and public health. This paper

explains new research perspectives on the ecoepidemiology of

neglected intestinal helminthiasis in urban-marginal and rural areas of

the province of Guayas (Ecuador). By means of an applied study with

a qualitative, quantitative, field, descriptive-prospective-analytical-

transversal approach, fecal samples from humans and their domestic

dogs from the indicated areas will be analyzed, in order to provide

information: The relationship between the environment-helminths-

and hosts, prevalence of neglected intestinal helminthiases, zoonotic

association, characterization of environmental variables, specification

of social determinants of health and generate scientific production.

Keywords: Ecoepidemiology, social determinants, environmental

parameters, epidemiological indicators, zoonotic association.

Published

Edwards Deming Higher Technological

Institute. Quito - Ecuador

Periodicity

October - December

Dates of receipt

Received: June 22, 2023

Approved: September 10, 2023

http://centrosuragraria.com/index.php/revista

vol. 1. Num. 19. 2023.

pp. 16-23

Correspondence author

roberto.coellope@ug.edu.ec

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License, Attribution-

NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

International.https://creativecommons.org/lice

nses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.es

Director del Proyecto FCI sobre Ecoepidemiología de las helmintiasis intestinales desatendidas en zonas urbanomarginales y rurales de la

provincia del Guayas, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad de Guayaquil (UG), Guayaquil, Ecuador, roberto.coellope@ug.edu.ec,

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5152-2843

October - December vol. 1. Num. 19 - 2023

Resumen: Las Helmintiasis Intestinales Desatendidas son muy

prevalentes a nivel mundial y representan un serio problema de:

contaminación ambiental (presencia de heces fecales con formas

parasitarias infectivas dispersas en el suelo), salud animal y salud

pública. El presente explica, sobre las nuevas perspectivas de

investigación sobre la ecoepidemiología de las helmintiasis

intestinales desatendidas en zonas urbanomarginales y rurales de la

provincia del Guayas (Ecuador). Mediante un estudio aplicado con

enfoque cualitativo, cuantitativo, de campo, descriptivo-prospectivo-

analítico-transversal, se analizarán muestras fecales de humanos y de

sus perros domésticos de las zonas señaladas, con el fin de dar a

conocer: La relación entre el medio ambiente-helmintos-y

hospederos, prevalencia de las helmintiasis intestinales desatendidas,

asociación zoonótica, caracterización de variables ambientales,

especificación de determinantes sociales de salud y generar

producción científica.

Palabras clave: Ecoepidemiología, determinantes sociales,

parámetros ambientales, indicadores epidemiológicos, asociación

zoonótica.

Introduction

Worldwide, corn (Zea mays L.) is a cereal of great economic and

nutritional importance. The main producers of this grass, according to

FAO (2017) are: United States of America with approximately 370

million tons per year, followed by Continental China with 259 million

T/year, Brazil ranks third with 97 million T/year, and lastly Argentina

with 4 million T/year. It is considered a representative cereal that

creates economic sources within the food agroindustry.

The production of this grass is one of the most important agricultural

activities on the Ecuadorian coast, as it is the raw material for the

production of balanced products for the animal industry. In 2017, it was

estimated that the planted area of this species was 388,534 Has with an

average yield of 4Tm/Ha. On the other hand, 79.26% of the planted area

is registered in the provinces of Los Ríos, Manabí and Guayas (National

Institute of Statistics and Geography). (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica

y Censos (INEC), 2017)..

At present, on the Ecuadorian coast it is one of the most important

socioeconomic crops, due to the work it provides to farmers in large

rural areas. The Central Bank of Ecuador (2018) in its report describes

that nowadays, farmers adopt new technologies such as the use of

certified seeds that has become daily in agricultural fields. The planting

of hybrids is a fundamental factor to increase yields, however, it is not

New research perspectives on the ecoepidemiology of neglected intestinal helminthiasis in urban-

marginal and rural areas of the province of Guayas.

the only factor that has an impact on production, Ortiz (2014) refers

that there are other factors such as: the zone, climatic conditions,

management and agricultural work (weed management, fertilization,

integrated pest and disease management), the type of investment and

the type of farmer(Roca et al., 2013)..

The release of high-yielding hybrids tolerant to adverse biotic and

abiotic factors will contribute to minimize losses of this grass.

Therefore, the present research work on the adaptability of new maize

(Zea mays L.) hybrids in Ecuador was carried out to determine the yield

in two zones of the Ecuadorian coast.

Materials and methods

Type and Design of research:

This is an applied study with a qualitative, quantitative, field,

descriptive-prospective-analytical-cross-sectional approach.

Study site:

There will be 2 urban-marginal sectors of Guayaquil: Balerio Estacio

and La Ladrillera; as well as 2 rural sectors of the Province of Guayas

which are: Loma Larga (Nobol canton) and Santa Rosa (Daule canton).

The population of the Urbano Estacio Cooperative is 32,000

inhabitants, that of the Ladrillera sector is 1607 inhabitants (Department

of Appraisal and Cadastre of the Municipality of Guayaquil, 2022), that

of Loma Larga is 1000 inhabitants (Department of Appraisal and

Cadastre of the Municipality of Nobol, 2022) and that of Santa Rosa

1450 inhabitants (According to the Department of Appraisal and

Cadastre of the Municipality of Daule, 2022). The total population in

the four zones is 36,057 inhabitants, housed in 7,212

dwellings/households. For the calculation of the sample size, the

WinEpi (2023) program was used with a confidence level of 95%,

population size 7212 (households) and a minimum expected prevalence

of 5% (Cooper et al., 1993; Moncayo et al., 2018), giving a result of 59

dwellings, where 2 samples of domestic dogs and 1 of humans will be

taken (118 samples of canines and 59 samples of humans per sector).

For the statistical treatment of the data, summaries of the quantitative

variables will be used, which will be made using the measures of central

October - December vol. 1. Num. 19 - 2023

tendency and the measures of dispersion with their corresponding

graphs.

Summaries of qualitative variables will be presented using ratios,

proportions and rates; and risk estimation will be performed using the

odds ratio. Statistical analysis will be performed using R version

1.2.5033 (Venables et al., 2022) and RStudio (RStudio Team, 2022).

Fecal samples from humans and their domestic dogs will be analyzed

to determine intestinal helminths by direct coproparasitic methods

(Fabián et al., 2003), flotation (Willis, 1921), and sedimentation using

saline solution (Fabián et al., 2003; CDC, 2021). To differentiate

Strongyloides stercoralis and Ancylostoma caninum larvae, the

modified Baermann method (Coello et al., 2019) and PCR will be

performed to confirm the presence of helminths (Avila et al., 2021). A

standardization technique for a molecular diagnostic test for

Ancylostoma caninum in canines will also be performed.

Social determinants (Number of family members, Ages of family

members, Occupation, Presence of skin, eye and other diseases,

Household infrastructure, Presence of sewerage and type of water

supply, Health system, Excreta disposal and Animal ownership) will be

measured through surveys.

Environmental parameters (Temperature, Humidity, Precipitation,

Solar Radiation, Soil Texture, Vegetation Type, Deforestation and

Fauna) will be determined through data provided by environmental

programs such as: Weather Spark (2022), Weather Atlas (2022),

Meteored (2022), National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology

(INAMHI) (2023); as well as through observation and soil studies

Epidemiological Indicators (Prevalence, Morbidity will be determined

through laboratory analysis and surveys.

Result

1) The Ecoepidemiology of neglected intestinal helminthiasis in urban-

marginal and rural areas of the Guayas Province will be evaluated.

2) The environmental variables in the selected study localities will be

characterized.

3) The social determinants of health present in the sampling units will

be specified.

New research perspectives on the ecoepidemiology of neglected intestinal helminthiasis in urban-

marginal and rural areas of the province of Guayas.

4) Intestinal helminths in humans and their domestic dogs present in the

study areas will be identified.

5) Epidemiological indicators in the study areas will be estimated.

6) Scientific production will be generated through scientific articles,

presentations, participation in national and international events and a

doctoral proposal on the Ecoepidemiology of Ancylostoma caninum in

urban-marginal and rural areas of the Ecuadorian Coast.

7) Development of new methodologies, processes and techniques

applicable to biomedical parasitology.

8) Generate other research.

9) Prevent outbreaks or epidemics, through talks and awareness-raising.

10) To strengthen the study of neglected parasitosis in third, fourth and

fifth level students.

11) Graduate: 3 students of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics of the

University of Guayaquil and Doctorate (in 5 years).

12) Holding of an International Microbiology Congress.

Conclusions

This is a project of the Competitive Research Fund (FCI) that was

approved by the Research Council of the Faculty of Veterinary

Medicine and Animal Husbandry, also by the Directorate of Research,

both of the University of Guayaquil, lacking the approval of the Ethics

Committee of Human Research CEISH (in process). The results

obtained will be of valuable information for the epidemiological

surveillance systems of wildlife, animal health and public health, which

will serve to establish control and prevention programs of intestinal

Helminthiasis, and avoid the spread of these parasitosis to other areas

since the areas to investigate have all the conditions for the various

biological cycles of transmission.

However, Dr. Ana Lucia Ruano Nieto, presented to SENESCYT in

2013, the National Program for the multidisciplinary approach to

neglected Parasitosis in Ecuador (PROPAD), which was developed on

October - December vol. 1. Num. 19 - 2023

a national scale and made early and accurate diagnoses of the different

types of parasites in Ecuador.

On the other hand, PAHO's Regional Program for Neglected Diseases

promotes a comprehensive approach that includes both

interprogrammatic strategies and intersectoral actions. In this context,

the guide for the formulation and implementation of Comprehensive

Plans for the Control or Elimination of Neglected Diseases was

developed to join efforts for the planning, implementation, monitoring

and evaluation of interventions and programs for the prevention, control

and elimination of Neglected Infectious Diseases in the health sector.

With the above described, it is worthwhile to investigate the:

Ecoepidemiology of neglected intestinal helminthiasis in urban-

marginal and rural areas of the province of Guayas (Ecuador).

Acknowledgments

To the Universidad de Guayaquil, Editorial Compas, Dr. Eduardo

Gómez, Dr. Geraldine Ramallo, Dr. María Victoria Periago and Dr.

Héctor Gabriel Ávila, for their invaluable help to the project.

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