{"title":"Imported schistosomiasis in travelers: Experience from a referral tropical medicine unit in Barcelona, Spain","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.tmaid.2024.102742","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Acute schistosomiasis occurs most often in travelers to endemic regions. The aim of the study is to describe the epidemiological, clinical and parasitological characteristics of patients with schistosomiasis acquired during an international travel.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Observational retrospective study including all travel-related schistosomiasis cases seen at the International Health Unit Vall d’Hebron-Drassanes (Barcelona, Spain) from 2009 to 2022. Diagnosis of schistosomiasis was defined by the presence of <em>Schistosoma</em> eggs in stools or urine or the positivity of a serological test. We collected demographic, epidemiological, clinical, parasitological, and therapeutic information.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>917 cases of schistosomiasis were diagnosed, from whom 96 (10.5 %) were travel-related. Mean age of the patients was 34.9 years, and 53.1 % were women. Median duration of the travel was 72 days, and geographical areas where travelers had contact with fresh water were Africa (82.3 %), Asia (12.5 %), and South America (5.2 %). Twenty (20.8 %) patients reported having had some clinical symptom, being gastrointestinal symptoms the most frequent. Two patients developed the classical Katayama syndrome. In eleven (11.5 %) cases eggs were observed in urine or feces samples, and 85 (88.5 %) cases were diagnosed by a positive serology. Ninety-one (94.8 %) patients received treatment with praziquantel with different therapeutic schemes. The two patients with Katayama syndrome received concomitant treatment with corticosteroids.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Schistosomiasis in travelers represented 10 % of the overall schistosomiasis cases in our center. Increasing the awareness in the pre-travel advice and implementing specific screening in those travelers at risk (long travelers, contact with fresh water) could reduce the incidence and associated morbidity in this group.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":23312,"journal":{"name":"Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893924000589/pdfft?md5=ae185c2b3f4a450a9e6910ca0e158836&pid=1-s2.0-S1477893924000589-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893924000589","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"INFECTIOUS DISEASES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Acute schistosomiasis occurs most often in travelers to endemic regions. The aim of the study is to describe the epidemiological, clinical and parasitological characteristics of patients with schistosomiasis acquired during an international travel.
Methods
Observational retrospective study including all travel-related schistosomiasis cases seen at the International Health Unit Vall d’Hebron-Drassanes (Barcelona, Spain) from 2009 to 2022. Diagnosis of schistosomiasis was defined by the presence of Schistosoma eggs in stools or urine or the positivity of a serological test. We collected demographic, epidemiological, clinical, parasitological, and therapeutic information.
Results
917 cases of schistosomiasis were diagnosed, from whom 96 (10.5 %) were travel-related. Mean age of the patients was 34.9 years, and 53.1 % were women. Median duration of the travel was 72 days, and geographical areas where travelers had contact with fresh water were Africa (82.3 %), Asia (12.5 %), and South America (5.2 %). Twenty (20.8 %) patients reported having had some clinical symptom, being gastrointestinal symptoms the most frequent. Two patients developed the classical Katayama syndrome. In eleven (11.5 %) cases eggs were observed in urine or feces samples, and 85 (88.5 %) cases were diagnosed by a positive serology. Ninety-one (94.8 %) patients received treatment with praziquantel with different therapeutic schemes. The two patients with Katayama syndrome received concomitant treatment with corticosteroids.
Conclusions
Schistosomiasis in travelers represented 10 % of the overall schistosomiasis cases in our center. Increasing the awareness in the pre-travel advice and implementing specific screening in those travelers at risk (long travelers, contact with fresh water) could reduce the incidence and associated morbidity in this group.
期刊介绍:
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Publication Scope:
Publishes original papers, reviews, and consensus papers
Primary theme: infectious disease in the context of travel medicine
Focus Areas:
Epidemiology and surveillance of travel-related illness
Prevention and treatment of travel-associated infections
Malaria prevention and treatment
Travellers' diarrhoea
Infections associated with mass gatherings
Migration-related infections
Vaccines and vaccine-preventable disease
Global policy/regulations for disease prevention and control
Practical clinical issues for travel and tropical medicine practitioners
Coverage:
Addresses areas of controversy and debate in travel medicine
Aims to inform guidelines and policy pertinent to travel medicine and the prevention of infectious disease
Publication Features:
Offers a fast peer-review process
Provides early online publication of accepted manuscripts
Aims to publish cutting-edge papers