CENSUS

In the first year of the project, we carried out a complete census of all of our study villages. In each subsequent years, we have updated this information.

ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE

We have trained our team of village health promoters to collect disease incidence and other data. They visit each house in the study on a regular basis.

CASE CONTROL

We visit each of the 21 villages for two weeks, twice per year, to carry out the case-control portion of our study, collecting stool samples and information from individuals with and without diarrhea.

SOCIOMETRIC STUDY

We are carrying out sociometric interviews with each community member in order to construct a social network of interactions within each village.

POULTRY FARMING & ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Using both culture-based and molecular techniques we test for antibiotic resistance in Enterobacteria from human, environmental, and chicken samples to examine the role that the use of antibiotics in chicken farming has on the spread of antibiotic resistance in human populations.

ETHNOGRAPHY

The ethnographic component of our project is designed to allow us to understand views of health and disease in the villages, the process of social change in each village over time, and also to allow us to make observations about things like river and water use, disease management, transportation services, and presence of commodities and services.

MAPPING/GIS

Using a GPS instrument, we have created maps of each village, noting every house, important communal and environmental points, road, and river. We are also mapping new roads as they are created over time.

HEALTH CLINIC

During each case-control visit, we set up a field clinic to address health problems faced by members of the communities in which we work. Medicines are offered at low cost.

MICROBIOLOGY

In the field:
We test all of our samples in the field in order to allow for fast and accurate results. Samples are also saved in Nitrogen tanks and transported to the laboratory in Quito.

In the lab:
In Quito, we use PCR and other molecular techniques to identify unique strains. We also carry out more fingerprinting techniques at our labs in Michigan.

DENGUE

In the field:
We survey water containers, such as rain barrels, tires, and puddles, to collect mosquito larvae. In addition, we collect bloodspot samples from villagers via finger-prick on filter paper to test for dengue antibodies.

In the lab:
Species of collected mosquito larvae are identified and abundance indices are calculated for the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti. The human bloodspot samples are tested for dengue IgG antibodies using ELISA techniques. Aedes aegypti larval abundance and dengue antibody levels are compared between road and non-road villages to provide insight on the effect of road access on dengue transmission.