Enterocolitis secondary to parasitic and bacterial coinfection in a pediatric patient from Ecuador: a case report

Abstract

Nearly half of the world’s population, approximately 3.5 billion people, is currently infected with at least one parasite, and about 1.5 billion of these infections are caused by helminths. These figures are often associated with extremely impoverished regions such as Africa or Southeast Asia; however, in the Americas, one in three individuals is affected by parasitic infections, with children being the most vulnerable group, accounting for approximately 43 million cases. This situation represents more than a public health issue, as its mitigation depends not only on pharmacological prophylaxis programs but also on synergistic actions involving public policy and the allocation of resources aimed at modifying health determinants that facilitate these infections. In this study, we present a clinical case of parasitic coinfection involving helminths and protozoa, aggravated by the concomitant presence of three enteropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli. This report aims to describe in detail the risk factors, clinical presentation, microbiology, and pathogenesis of the infectious agents involved, as well as the usefulness of laboratory studies required for their timely identification.