title: First description of Trypanosoma cruzi human infection in Esmeraldas province, Ecuador.
abstract: Chagas disease was described in Ecuador in 1930 in the province of Guayas and thereafter in various provinces. Triatomine were reported in the province of Esmeraldas but no human infection has been described. Here we report the first evidence that the disease does exist in the province of Esmeraldas. In indigenous Awá communities located in the northwest jungle of the Esmeraldas province, 144 individuals were tested using ELISA and PCR for T.cruzi of which 5 (3.47%) were positive. Twenty eight triatomine were collected, 27 were Triatoma dispar and 1 Pastrongylus rufotuberculatus, T.cruzi was detected in 11 (42.3%) of 26 insects.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Parasitologia Molecular y Medicina Tropical, Centro de Biomedicina, Carrera de Medicina, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Sodiro N14121 e Iquique, Quito, Ecuador. angel_gustavoguevara@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ángel
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Guevara
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Hipatia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Criollo
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vivero
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Racines
authors.forename: Varsovia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cevallos
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prandi
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caicedo
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Robinzon
authors.forename: Mariella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anselmi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D004484:Ecuador / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044382:Population Groups; D014225:Triatominae / Q000469:parasitology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D055815:Young Adult
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