Prevalencia de Cryptosporidium spp. y Giardia spp. en terneros, y su presencia en agua y en niños con problemas digestivos en el cantón San Fernando, Ecuador

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in the feces of calves 0-4 months of age, as contaminating factor of the water resources used by the human population of 2-6 years old, in the canton San Fernando, province of Azuay. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study carried out during the period from September 2013 to April 2014. A sample of 120 calves from 0 to 4 months of age was used, according to AGROCALIDAD data; 42 children from 2 to 6 years of age with digestive problems in their visit to the health center; and 40 liters of water obtained from the catchment area in the Hato de la Virgen sector. In calves and infants, fecal material was collected and treated to perform the Ziehl-Neelsen coloration for Cryptosporidium spp. and the Ritchie technique for Giardia spp.; in the water, the number of cysts and oocysts/100 ml were determined by the EPA method 1623. The children were discriminated for the study according to the origin (rural or urban). Descriptive statistics were applied with the SPSS 22.