Luis Ariel Rivera Flores

Mr. Luis Ariel Rivera Flores


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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24 October 2026 in Water
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
DGDaniela Jose Garcia Gonzales
Daniela Jose Garcia Gonzales
GVGladis Vásquez-Perdomo
Gladis Vásquez-Perdomo
Keylin Lourdes MendozaKeylin Lourdes Mendoza
Keylin Lourdes Mendoza
LFLuis Ariel Rivera Flores
Luis Ariel Rivera Flores
LELourdes Enriquez
Lourdes Enriquez
BRYAN ORTIZBRYAN ORTIZ
BRYAN ORTIZ
Fecal contamination of water sources represents a significant public health risk, particularly in regions with limited sanitation infrastructure. This study characterized diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) pathotypes, antimicrobial resistance, and clonal relatedness among E. coli isolates recovered from surface and groundwater sources in the Upper Choluteca River Basin, Honduras. In total, 131 isolates were screened by PCR for nine marker genes of six diarrheagenic pathotypes and tested for susceptibility to seven antimicrobial agents; DEC isolates were typed by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR (ERIC-PCR). Overall, 65.6% (86/131) of the isolates carried at least one DEC marker; enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) predominated (46.6%), and 13.7% showed heteropathotype profiles, mainly typical enteropathogenic E. coli (tEPEC)/ETEC. Multidrug resistance was identified in 71.0% of the isolates, with the highest non-susceptibility frequencies for cefotaxime (95.4%) and ciprofloxacin (93.1%); imipenem non-susceptibility (51.9%) was mostly intermediate (resistance, 8.4%). The st gene was significantly associated with non-susceptibility to cefoxitin, imipenem, and ceftazidime. ERIC-PCR revealed extensive clonal diversity without a dominant lineage, suggesting recurrent fecal inputs from multiple sources. These findings show that water sources in the basin, including groundwater, are reservoirs of DEC and multidrug-resistant E. coli, highlighting the need for stronger water-quality surveillance within a One Health framework.