Prevalence of parasitic infections in migrants: do official symptom-driven guidelines apply to the current situation?

Prevalence of parasitic infections in migrants: do official symptom-driven guidelines apply to the current situation? Infez Med. 2018 Dec 01;26(4):347-355 Authors: Mazzitelli M, Torti C, Greco G, Strazzulla A, Costa C, Pisani V, Sorace C, Giancotti A, Lamberti A, Barreca GS, Quirino A, Liberto MC, Focà A, Matera G Abstract In recent years, migration has become a significant challenge in Western countries. Migrant populations, coming from hyper-endemic areas, may present parasitic infections that remain latent and asymptomatic even for years, eventually leading to severe complications. Italian guidelines have been established to perform screening guided by the presence of symptoms and/or hypereosinophilia. Parasitological screening was conducted in a migrant population to carry out preventative measures. All migrants were asked to report any symptoms suggesting parasitic infections and list any previous treatment received. Travel data were recorded. Parasitological examination of stools and urine were conducted in all patients regardless of symptoms. In all, 208 consecutive patients were enrolled in our outpatient clinic from November 2016 to August 2017. Thirty-four patients were excluded due to the previous assumption of albendazole or because they did not exhibit suitable samples. Prevalence of parasitic infections was 33/174 (18.9%). A statistically significant difference for the prevalence of parasitic infections was not found b...
Source: Infezioni in Medicina - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Infez Med Source Type: research