Amphimerus sp. is a fluke that dwells in the biliary tracts of vertebrate definitive hosts including humans, domestic, and wild mammals in Latin America. Opisthorchiid liver infections are rarely studied in the Americas confirming its status as a neglected tropical disease. In Ecuador, small trematode eggs were reported in human cases from the province of Manabí in 1949, and recently, Amphimerus sp. adults were recovered from human and reservoir hosts in the province of Esmeraldas. Due to the lack of research on the infectious sources of Amphimerus sp. in the continent, we have developed a series of epidemiological studies with parasitological and molecular techniques to elucidate the endemicity of opisthorchiid fluke infections. We developed a cross-sectional study in three communities at Pedro Pablo Gó mez parish in the province of Manabí, Ecuador. We examined a total of 176 fecal samples to detect opisthorchiid eggs, and four fish species to find opisthorchiid metacercariae. To study adult worms, we treated and purged seven patients in a family and dissected the livers of a dog and a cat infected. We observed morphological features of adults and metacercariae and used polymerase chain reaction with restricted fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing of a section of the ITS2 gene for identification. Small trematode eggs were detected in 63 (35.8%) out of 176 fecal samples of residents in the three study sites. Adult opisthorchiid flukes were recovered from human patients, a dog and a cat, and they were morphologically and molecularly identified as Amphimerus sp. Opisthorchiid metacercariae were also identified molecularly as Amphimerus sp. in four fish species, i.e., Rhoadsia altipinna, Bryconamericus bucay, Andinoacara rivulatus, and Piabucina aureoguttata. Metacercariae of the heterophyid Haplorchis pumilio were also found in the four fish species examined. This is the first study to confirm the current endemicity of PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

RESUMEN.-La lombriz de tierra, Eisenia foetida, es hospedero de numerosos microorganismos simbiontes, muchos de los cuales han sido identificados recientemente, así como se ha descrito su actividad enzimática. Estos microorganismos suelen presentar actividad enzimática de diferente tipo. Algunos podrían presentar interés industrial por sus potenciales aplicaciones. En el presente trabajo, se eligió identificar aquellos microorganismos que tienen actividad endo-β-1,4-glucanasa, y evaluar dicha actividad por el método de los azúcares reductores de Nelson-Somogyi. Dichos azúcares reductores fueron liberados después de la incubación de las bacterias con la solución de carboximetilcelulosa (CMC). Las colonias aisladas de interés fueron cultivadas en Plate Count Agar, PCA (Difco), y su identificación se llevó a cabo mediante el análisis de la región 16SDNAr. Comparando los resultados con la base de datos NCBI, se encontró que las especies productoras de la actividad endo-β-1,4-glucanasa fueron: Burkholderia fhytofirmans, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus licheniformis, y Acidovorax delafieldii. Los aislamientos produjeron un porcentaje de degradación interesante en relación al control positivo empleado. Se presentan comparaciones de la degradación causada por las diferentes colonias aisladas. PALABRAS CLAVE:Endo-β-1,4-glucanasa, enzimas, lombriz de tierra, microbiota, 16SDNAr.ABSTRACT.-The earth worm, Eisenia foetida, is host for numerous symbiotic microorganisms, many of which have been recently identified, as well as the description of their enzymatic activity. These microorganisms usually present enzymatic activity of different type, and some may present industrial interest due to their potential applications. In the present research, it was decided to identify those microorganisms that present endo-β-1,4-glucanasa activity, and to evaluate this activity by the Nelson-Somogyi method of reducing sugars. Reducing sugars were released after the incubation of the bacteria colonies with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) solution. The isolated colonies of interest were cultured in laboratory and their identification was made through analysis of the 16S DNAr region. By comparing the results with the NCBI database, it was found that the endo-β-1,4-glucanase activity producing species were: Burkholderia fhytofirmans, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus licheniformis, and Acidovorax delafieldii. The isolations produced an interesting degradation percentage in relation to the positive control utilized. Comparisons of the degradation caused by the different isolated colonies are presented.

Los TMD son patologías que se presentan con frecuencia en nuestro medio, las causas van asociadas a factores como interferencias oclusales, problemas articulares, estrés y otras etiologías que provocan inestabilidad del sistema estomatognático; desencadenando una serie de problemas, con una manifestación común, encontrada a lo largo de esta revisión bibliográfica, el dolor. Objetivo: Analizar si las férulas oclusales controlan el dolor relacionado con trastornos temporomandibulares. Materiales y Métodos. Revisión sistemática, protocolo PRISMA, artículos científicos en plataforma electrónicas PUBLIMED, MEDLINE, WEB SCIENCE, SCOPUS, COCHRANE LIBRARY, 2009 a 2018, bases complementarias SCIELO, REDILYC, LATINDEX. Muestra total n = 59 artículos tamizaje, selección definitiva n= 13 artículos que cumplen los criterios de inclusión como palabras claves (Férulas, férulas oclusales, trastorno de la articulación temporomandibular, síndrome de disfunción de articulación temporomandibular); de los cuales 5 artículos son de estudio transversal y 8 caso y control. Resultados: n=13 artículos observacionales, casos y control, que indican en sus conclusiones que las férulas oclusales tienen un efecto positivo en los pacientes con trastornos temporomandibulares, disminuyendo considerablemente la sintomatología. Discusión: las férulas oclusales se consideran tratamientos placebos, que deben ser complementados con otras alternativas terapéuticas. Conclusión: Las férulas oclusales son dispositivos eficientes que cumplen con el objetivo de controlar la sintomatología en los pacientes que padecen trastornos temporomandibulares.

It is estimated that in developing countries 60% of waste is from lignocellulosic material that can be used in recycling processes. The purpose of this research is to find enzymatic cocktails from bacteria native to Ecuador that allow degradation of the lignocellulosic material, by searching native microorganisms collected in Los Andes, Amazonia and Antartida, which can be introduced in a process of bagasse enzymatic hydrolysis on an industrial scale. For this, qualitative and quantitative tests were carried out to measure the endoglucanase, exoglucanase and filter paper activity of the microorganisms and their enzymatic cocktails. Enzymatic hydrolysis tests were also performed on sugarcane bagasse. In addition, the value of the investments for the production of enzymatic cocktail of bacteria Bacillus sp. and the total cost of production was calculated. It was identified that Peniccillium sp. was the species with the highest activity of filter paper,