Mario Grijalva, PhD

grijalva@ohio.edu  

Research group:Healthy Living Initiative (group leader)

Infectious and tropical diseases

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Areas of research: Parasitology / Infectious, immunological and chronic diseases / Healthy environments and lifestyles / Health promotion and nutrition.

 

   Current research:  

• Healthy Living Initiative: a model for the sustainable prevention of Chagas disease.

 

  Education:

 

• 1997. Postdoctoral fellows: American Society of Microbiology; National Centers for Infectious Diseases; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; GAASM/NCID Fellowship.
• 1997. PhD. in Molecular and Celular Biology. Ohio University, OH, USA.
• 1991. Bachelor in Biology. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

 

  Current position: 

 

• CISeAL Director. 2000 - 2023.
• Director, Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute. Ohio University. 2006 – present.
• Professor at Biomedical Sciences Department, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University. May 2005 – present.
• Visiting Professor at the School of Biological Sciences. College of Exact and Natural Sciences. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

 

 

  Recent publications:  

 

• Bates, B. R., Carrasco-Tenezaca, M., Mendez-Trivino, A. M., Mendoza, L. E., Nieto-Sanchez, C., Baus, E. G., & Grijalva, M. J. (2023). Identifying Barriers and Facilitators for Home Reconstruction for Prevention of Chagas Disease: An Interview Study in Rural Loja Province, Ecuador. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 8(4), 228. MDPI AG. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8040228

• Mora-Criollo, P., Carrasco-Tenezaca, M., Casapulla, S., Bates, B. R., & Grijalva, M. J. (2023) A qualitative exploration of knowledge of Chagas disease among adolescents in rural Ecuador. Rural and remote health, 23(1), 6796. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH6796

• Bates, B.R &  Grijalva, M.J. (2022) Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards monkeypox during the 2022 outbreak: An online cross-sectional survey among clinicians in Ohio, USA. Journal of Infection and Public Health 15(12): 1459-1465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2022.11.004.

• Nieto-Sanchez, C., Hatley, D.M., II, Grijalva, M.J., Peeters Grietens, K, Bates, B.R. (2022) Communication in Neglected Tropical Diseases’ elimination: A scoping review and call for action. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 16(10): e0009774. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009774

• Grijalva, M.J.; Villacís, A.G.; Ocaña-Mayorga, S.; Yumiseva, C.A.; Nieto-Sanchez, C.; Baus, E.G. and Moncayo, A.L. (2022).Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Chemical Control for Chagas Disease Vectors in Loja Province, Ecuador. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. Ahead of print http://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2021.0089

• Mario J Grijalva, Ana L Moncayo, Cesar A Yumiseva, Sofia Ocaña-Mayorga, Esteban G Baus, Anita G Villacís. (2022). Evaluation of Selective Deltamethrin Application with Household and Community Awareness for the Control of Chagas Disease in Southern Ecuador. Journal of Medical Entomology, tjac050, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjac050

• Brusnahan, A., Carrasco-Tenezaca, M., Bates, B. R., Roche, R., & Grijalva, M. J. (2022). Identifying health care access barriers in southern rural Ecuador. International journal for equity in health, 21(1), 55. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-022-01660-1

• Bates, B.R., Villegas-Botero, A., Costales, J.A, Moncayo, A.L., Tami, A., Carvajal, A. & Grijalva, M.J. (2022) COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Three Latin American Countries: Reasons Given for Not Becoming Vaccinated in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, Health Communication, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2035943

• Hernandez-Castro, L.E., Villacís, A.G., Jacobs, A., Cheaib, B., Day, C.C., Ocaña-Mayorga, S., Yumiseva, C.A., Bacigalupo, A., Andersson, B., Matthews, L., Landguth, E.L., Costales, J.A., Llewellyn, M.S., Grijalva, M.J. (2022) Population genomics and geographic dispersal in Chagas disease vectors: Landscape drivers and evidence of possible adaptation to the domestic setting. PLOS Genetics 18(2): e1010019. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010019

• Cristina Valderrama-Martínez, Benjamin R. Bates & Mario J. Grijalva (2022) Learning Communication Channel Selection Lessons From The Earthquake In Bahía De Caráquez, Ecuador, 2016, Southern Communication Journal, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2022.2037062

• Patricia Mora-Criollo, Reetobrata Basu, Yanrong Qian, Jaime A Costales, Jaime Guevara-Aguirre, Mario J Grijalva, John Joseph Kopchick. The Effect of the GH/IGF-1 Axis During Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Volume 5, Issue Supplement_1, April-May 2021, Pages A492–A493, https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvab048.1007

• Shariq I. Sherwani, Benjamin R. Bates & Mario J. Grijalva (2021) Charitable Giving in the Context of Unfamiliar Organizations: The Effectiveness of Construal Level Theory in Predicting Donating Intentions and Antecedents, Southern Communication Journal, 86:5, 472-486, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2021.1929434

• Bates BR, Grijalva DA, Grijalva MJ. (2021). Un enfoque participativo centrado en la cultura. Una forma alternativa de definir el desarrollo en el espacio rural de Ecuador. Escribanía Vol. 19 Núm 1. (24). https://doi.org/10.30554/escribania.v19i1.4328.Bates 

• Benjamin R. Bates, Daniela A. Grijalva, Paul A. Jacho, C. Xavier Barriga-Abril & Mario J. Grijalva (2021) Participatory mural painting and identifying resources in Asset Based Community Development research: a case in rural Ecuador, Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17459435.2021.1940253

• Chiriboga-Ponce, R:F., Cueva-Tirira, G., Crespo-Proaño, C., González-Rodríguez, A., Pineda-Males, P. & Grijalva-Cobo, M. J. (2021). Importancia de los marcadores infecciosos para identificar portadores de hepatitis B en donantes de sangre. Gaceta Médica de México , 157 (1), 37-42. Epub 18 de junio de 2021. https://doi.org/10.24875/gmm.20000032

• Ocana-Mayorga, S., Bustillos, J., Villacís, A., Moncayo, A., Yumiseva, C., Brenière, S., & Grijalva, M. (2021). Human Blood Meals in Sylvatic Triatomines Challenges Domestic-Centered Strategies for Prevention of Trypanosoma cruzi Transmission in Ecuador. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, tpmd201312. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-1312

• Alvear Durán, S., Sanchez-Del-Hierro, G., Gomez-Correa, D., Enriquez, A., Sanchez, E., Belec, M., Casapulla, S., Grijlava, M. J., & Shubrook, J. H. (2021). A pilot of a modified diabetes prevention program in Quito, Ecuador. Journal of osteopathic medicine, 10.1515/jom-2020-0175. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2020-0175

• Alonso-Padilla, J., López, M. C., Esteva, M., Zrein, M., Casellas, A., Gómez, I., . . .Grijalva, M.J. . . . Viotti, R. (2021). Serological reactivity against T. cruzi-derived antigens: Evaluation of their suitability for the assessment of response to treatment in chronic Chagas disease. Acta Tropica, 221, 105990. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105990

• Bates, B. R., Tami, A., Carvajal, A., & Grijalva, M. J. (2021). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among Venezuelans during the 2020 epidemic: An online cross-sectional survey. PLoS ONE, 16(4), e0249022. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249022

• Talavera-López, C., Messenger, L.A., Lewis, M.D., Yeo, M., Reis-Cunha, J.L., Matos, G.M., Bartholomeu, D.C., Calzada, J.E., Saldaña, A,, Ramírez, J.D., Guhl, F., Ocaña-Mayorga, S., Costales, J.A., Gorchakov, R., Jones, K., Nolan, M.S, Teixeira, S.M.R., Carrasco, H.J., Bottazzi, M.E., Hotez, P.J., Murray, K.O., Grijalva, M.J., Burleigh, B., Grisard, E.C., Miles, M.A. and Andersson, B. (2021). Repeat-Driven Generation of Antigenic Diversity in a Major Human Pathogen, Trypanosoma cruzi. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 11(77):614665. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.614665

• Erazo, C. E., Erazo, C. V., Grijalva, M. J., & Moncayo, A. L. (2021). Knowledge, attitudes and practices on influenza vaccination during pregnancy in Quito, Ecuador. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 72. doi:10.1186/s12889-020-10061-4

• Ocaña-Mayorga, S., Bustillos, J.J., Villacís A.G., Pinto, C.M., Brenière, S.F., Grijalva, M.J. (2021). Triatomine Feeding Profiles and Trypanosoma cruzi Infection, Implications in Domestic and Sylvatic Transmission Cycles in Ecuador. Pathogens. 10(1):42. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10010042

• Otieno, A. W., Roark, J., Khan, M. L., Pant, S., Grijalva, M.J. & Titsworth, S. (2021). The kiss of death – Unearthing conversations surrounding Chagas disease on YouTube. Cogent Social Sciences, 7:1, 1858561, DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2020.

• Bates, B.R., Nieto-Sánchez, C., Marvel, D.L., Guerrero, D., Baus, E.G., Grijalva, M.J. (2020). Broadening ‘Media’ for Development Communication: Alternative Channels Employed in Loja, Ecuador. Asia Pacific Media Educator 29(2):201-213. doi:10.1177/1326365X19870097

• Maiguashca Sánchez, J., Sueto, S. O. B., Schwabl, P., Grijalva, M. J., Llewellyn, M. S., & Costales, J. A. (2020). Remarkable genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern Ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini-exon gene amplicons. Parasites & Vectors, 13(1), 252. doi:10.1186/s13071-020-04079-1

• Schwabl, P., Maiguashca Sánchez, J., Costales, J. A., Ocaña-Mayorga, S., Segovia, M., Carrasco, H. J., . . . Llewellyn, M. S. (2020). Culture-free genome-wide locus sequence typing (GLST) provides new perspectives on Trypanosoma cruzi dispersal and infection complexity. PLOS Genetics, 16(12), e1009170. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1009170

• Bates, B.R.,  Villegas, A. & Grijalva, M.J. (2020). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among Colombians during the outbreak: an online cross-sectional survey. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, DOI: 10.1080/17538068.2020.1842843

• Bates, B.R., Grijalva, D. A. & Grijalva, M.J. (2020). A culture-centered, participatory approach to defining “development” in rural Ecuador. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 21:1, 45-58, DOI: 10.1080/17459435.2020.1742776

• Bates, B. R., Moncayo, A. L., Costales, J. A., Herrera-Cespedes, C. A., & Grijalva, M. J. (2020). Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Towards COVID-19 Among Ecuadorians During the Outbreak: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey. Journal of community health, 10.1007/s10900-020-00916-7. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00916-7

• Santillán-Guayasamín, S., Barnabé, C., Magallón-Gastelum, E., Waleckx, E., Yumiseva, C. A., Grijalva, M. J., Villacís, A.G., Brenière, S. F. (2020). Molecular data supports monophyly of Triatoma dispar complex within genus Triatoma. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 85, 104429. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104429

• Reina Ortiz, M., Grijalva, M. J., Turell, M. J., Waters, W. F., Montalvo, A. C., Mathias, D., Sharma, V., Fierro, C., Suits, P., Thomas, S. Leon, R. (2020). Biosafety at Home: How to Translate Biomedical Laboratory Safety Precautions for Everyday Use in the Context of COVID-19. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi:https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0677

• Villacís, A. G., Bustillos, J. J., Depickère, S., Sánchez, D., Yumiseva, C. A., Troya-Zuleta, A., Barnabé, C., Grijalva, M.J. & Brenière, S. F. (2020). Would tropical climatic variations impact the genetic variability of triatomines: Rhodnius ecuadoriensis, principal vector of Chagas disease in Ecuador? Acta Tropica, 209, 105530. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105530

• Villacís, A.G., Dujardin, J., Panzera, F. Yumiseva, C.A., Pita, S., Santillán-Guayasamín, S., Orozco, M.I., Mosquera, K.D. & Grijalva, M.J. (2020). Chagas vectors Panstrongylus chinai (Del Ponte, 1929) and Panstrongylus howardi (Neiva, 1911): chromatic forms or true species?. Parasites Vectors 13(1), 226. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04097-z

• Alonso-Padilla, J., Abril, M., Alarcón de Noya, B., Almeida, I.C., Angheben, A., Araujo Jorge, T., Chatelain, E-, Esteva, M., Gascón, J., Grijalba, M.J. et al. (2020) Target product profile for a test for the early assessment of treatment efficacy in Chagas disease patients: An expert consensus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 14(4): e0008035. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008035

• Bates, B.R., Villacís, A.G., Mendez-Trivino, A., Mendoza, L.E., Grijalva, M.J. (2020). Determinants of intentions to prevent triatomine infestation based on the health belief model: An application in rural southern Ecuador. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 14(1): e0007987. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007987

• Rivadeneria, M.F., Moncayo, A.L., Tello, B., Torres, A.L., Buitrón, G.J., Astudillo, F., Fredericks, T.R. and Grijalva, M.J. (2020). A multi-causal model for chronic malnutrition and anemia in a population of rural coastal children. Matern Child Health J. 24, 472–482 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-019-02837-x 

• Bates, B.R., Nieto-Sanchez, C., Marvel, D.L., Baus, E.G., Grijalva, M.J. (2019). Broadening “media” for development communication: Alternative channels employed in Loja, Ecuador. Asia Pacific Media Educator, 29(2): 201–213. 10.1177/1326365X19870097

• Barnabé, C., Grijalva, M. J., Santillán-Guayasamín S., Yumiseva, C. A., Waleckx, E., Brenière, F. S., Villacís, A.G. (2020). Genetic data support speciation between Panstrongylus howardi and Panstrongylus chinai, vectors of Chagas disease in Ecuador. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 104103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2019.104103

• Schwabl, P., Imamura, H., Van den Broeck, F., Costales, J. A., Maiguashca-Sánchez, J., Miles, M. A., Andersson, B., Grijalva, M. J. & Llewellyn, M. S. (2019). Meiotic sex in Chagas disease parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Nature Communications 10(1), 3972. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-11771-z

• Bates, B., Marvel, D., Nieto-Sanchez, C., Grijalva, M.J. (2018). Community cartography in health communication: An asset-based mapping approach in four communities in rural Ecuador. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 1-20

• Sharon, L., Casapulla, Aidoo-Frimpong, G., Basta, T.B., Grijalva, M.J. (2018). Zika virus knowledge and attitudes in Ecuador. AIMS Public Health 5(1), 49-63

• Howe, C.A., Casapulla, S., Shubrook, J.H., Lopez, P., Grijalva, M.J., Berryman, D.E. (2018). Regional Variations in Physical Fitness and Activity in Healthy and Overweight Ecuadorian Adolescents. Children 5(8), 104

• Lydy, S.L., Lascano, M.S., Garcia-Perez, J.E., Williams-Newkirk, A.J., & Grijalva, M.J. (2018). Seroprevalence and risk factors for infection with Bartonella bacilliformis in Loja province, Ecuador. Emerging microbes & infections 7(1), 115

• Marco-Crespo, B., Casapulla, S., Nieto-Sanchez, C., Urrego, J. G. G., & Grijalva, M. J. (2018). Youth participatory research and evaluation to inform a Chagas disease prevention program in Ecuador. Evaluation and program planning 69, 99-108

• Ocaña-Mayorga, S., Lobos, S. E., Crespo-Pérez, V., Villacís, A. G., Pinto, C. M., & Grijalva, M. J. (2018). Influence of ecological factors on the presence of a triatomine species associated with the arboreal habitat of a host of Trypanosoma cruzi. Parasites & vectors 11(1), 567

• Oduro, B., Grijalva, M.J., Just, W. (2018). Models of Disease Vector Control: When Can Aggressive Initial Intervention Lower Long-Term Cost?  Bull Math Biol 80, 788

• Patterson, N. M., Bates, B. R., Chadwick, A. E., Nieto-Sanchez, C., & Grijalva, M. J. (2018). Using the health belief model to identify communication opportunities to prevent Chagas disease in Southern Ecuador. PLoS neglected tropical diseases 12(9), e0006841

 

Books

• Villacis, Anita & Sáenz, Fabián & Neira, Marco & Grijalva, Mario. (2018). Ecosalud en las enfermedades transmitidas por vectores: Chagas, Dengue y Malaria [Ecohealth in vector-borne diseases: Chagas, Dengue and Malaria]. En Jaime Breilh (Ed.). La Medicina Ecuatoriana en el siglo XXI.  Tercer Tomo, capítulo 14 (pp. 252-267). Ecuador: Academia Ecuatoriana de Medicina, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Corporación Editora Nacional.

• Brenière, S. F., Villacis, A., & Aznar, C. (2017). 22 - Vector transmission: How it works, what transmits, where it occurs. In J. Telleria & M. Tibayrenc (Eds.), American Trypanosomiasis Chagas Disease (Second Edition) (pp. 497-515). London: Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-801029-7.00023-X

 

  Orcid:  http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1964-1425  

ReseachGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mario_Grijalva