Tropical diseases screening in immigrant patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection in Spain

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2013 Jun;88(6):1196-202. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.12-0714. Epub 2013 Mar 18.

Abstract

Latent parasitic infections can reactivate because of immunosuppression. We conducted a prospective observational study of all human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected immigrants who visited the Infectious Diseases Department of the Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain, during June 2010-May 2011. Screening of the most prevalent tropical diseases (intestinal parasitosis, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, malaria, schistosomiasis, and strongyloidiasis) was performed according to geographic origin. A total of 190 patients were included: 141 (74.2%) from Latin America, 41 (21.6%) from sub-Saharan Africa, and 8 (4.2%) from northern Africa. Overall, 36.8% (70 of 190) of the patients had at least one positive result for any parasitic disease: 5 patients with positive Trypanosoma cruzi serology, 11 patients with positive Schistosoma mansoni serology, 35 patients with positive Strongyloides stercoralis serology, 7 patients with positive Leishmania infantum serology, intestinal parasitosis were detected in 37 patients, malaria was diagnosed in one symptomatic patient. We propose a screening and management strategy of latent parasitic infections in immigrant patients infected with HIV.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Africa South of the Sahara
  • Africa, Northern
  • Animals
  • Asymptomatic Diseases
  • Chagas Disease / diagnosis*
  • Chagas Disease / ethnology
  • Emigrants and Immigrants
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology
  • HIV Infections / ethnology*
  • Humans
  • Latin America
  • Leishmania infantum / isolation & purification
  • Leishmaniasis / diagnosis*
  • Leishmaniasis / ethnology
  • Malaria / diagnosis*
  • Malaria / ethnology
  • Male
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Prevalence
  • Schistosoma mansoni / isolation & purification
  • Schistosomiasis / diagnosis*
  • Schistosomiasis / ethnology
  • Spain / epidemiology
  • Strongyloides stercoralis / isolation & purification
  • Strongyloidiasis / diagnosis*
  • Strongyloidiasis / ethnology
  • Trypanosoma cruzi / isolation & purification