The occurrence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) of unknown etiology in autochthonous child populations residing along the Lake Chapala lakeshore is endemic (Jalisco, México). The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of albuminuria in the pediatric population and to measure the glomerular filtration rate in children with two positive albuminuria tests. Urinary albumin was measured in 394 children. Subjects with two or more positive albuminuria test donated blood samples for the determination of serum biomarkers. From a rural community with 565 children under the age of 17 years, 394 (69.7%) participated with first morning urine samples. A total of 180 children were positive (with two or more positive albuminuria tests). The prevalence of albuminuria among the children participating in the study was 45.7%. Of the 180 children with persistent albuminuria, 160 (88.9%) were tested for serum creatinine, urea, and cystatin C. The 68.1% of the children studied, were found in stages 3a and 3b of the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) classification (mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 51.9 and 38.4 mL/min/1.73 m2 respectively). The lowest frequencies were for classifications 1 and 4. None of the subjects was classified as grade 5. The prevalence of albuminuria in children from this rural community is 3–5 times higher than reported in international literature. Regarding GFR, more than 50% of children studied are under 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. It is a priority to find the causes of albuminuria and CKD in this Mexican region.

The entomological features of Chagas disease in two western Mexican villages were analyzed through triatomines collection by the inhabitants and active research in the peridomicile. The inhabitant collections have the following comparable characteristics: 1) Meccus longipennis was the dominant species (> 91%), 2) around 43% of the insects were collected indoors, 3) about 70% of triatomines were adults, 4) cumulated rates of infestation of the dwellings reached 40–50%, 5) the triatomine infection rate by Trypanosoma cruzi was > 50%, and 6) the indoor triatomines frequently feed on humans (range 38.5–56.2%). However, the collection was twice as abundant in the first village and the peridomicile infestation, evaluated by the active collection, reached up to 60% and only 4.9% in the other village. Furthermore, females predominated in the first village, whereas males in the other. The current results allow discussing the course of action to prevent Chagas disease in this region.

A Chagas disease serological study was done from October 1991 to March 1992 and 3419 samples were taken from people who donated blood at 12 county areas of Jalisco, México and 8 urban hospitals, by means of indirect hemagglutination reaction. The results indicate that: 73.5% of the donors were from urban area, 26.5% were from rural areas; 1.28% of the donors (N = 44) were considered infected. Thirty nine of them (1.14) were males and 5 females. According to the above mentioned data, we can confirm that the risk of transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi can occur by blood transfusion and this is potentially latent because of the growing urbanization of Chagas disease.