Filariasis in Sub-Saharan Immigrants Attended in a Health Area of Southern Spain: Clinical and Epidemiological Findings

Abstract

Filariasis is still an endemic disease in several countries worldwide. Patients with mansonellosis result in only relatively mild symptoms, but these infections could produce many visits to health care providers. In Spain, this infection is imported due to the increase of immigrant population reaching our country during last years. The health area of the Hospital of Poniente has a rate of immigrants around to 20%, with a high percentage coming from sub-Saharan countries, being Mansonella perstans the main filarial infection in the majority of cases. In the protocol for the immigrants, it has been included the diagnosis of filarial infections in order to treat them. This manuscript describes epidemiological and clinical aspects of patients with this kind of infection.

Laboratory Parameters after Treatment for Loa loa and Mansonella perstans: The Experience of a Single Referral Center for Tropical Diseases in a Non-Endemic Area

“…Few studies have addressed therapy and outcome of loiasis and mansonellosis in patients treated outside of endemic areas. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Effectiveness of treatment in terms of parasitological cure is very difficult to assess because adult L. loa and M. perstans are not accessible. Generally, elimination of circulating microfilariae (mf), resolution of eosinophilia, and sustained absence of symptoms are used as indirect signs of therapy effectiveness.…”

“…Although less frequent, amicrofilaremic M. perstans infections are also documented. 6 Conversely, after treatment, presence of microfilaremia cannot be used to determine residual presence of adult worms, as mf may persist in the circulation for several months. 2 Serology, although confounded by variable levels of crossreactivity depending on the antigen and assay used, is also positive only in a proportion of cases.…”

“…2 Serology, although confounded by variable levels of crossreactivity depending on the antigen and assay used, is also positive only in a proportion of cases. 6,9,10,13,18 Nevertheless, the evolution of antifilarial antibodies may be an additional, complementary tool for the follow-up of infected patients. Very few clinical studies have investigated longitudinally the evolution of laboratory parameters, including antifilarial antibody titers, after treatment for L. loa, 11,[19][20][21][22] and only one after treatment for M. perstans infection.…”

Imported Skin Infections from Tropical Regions by Travelers and Immigrants to the Belgian Mosan Region

“…They lived in large cities abroad and their lifestyles and disease exposure profiles were rather similar to those of Western citizens. Some people who enter Western countries are not immigrants, but alien visitors, and some of them are sick [33][34][35][36] . Of note, a large proportion of those visitors originate from countries with a high incidence and prevalence of communicable diseases.…”

Successful treatment of 2 imported cases of Mansonella perstans infection

“…The clinical manifestations of M . perstans infection are poorly defined, but possible symptoms are swellings in extremities or face, itching, rash, exhaustion, and pain from serous cavities [1–4]. Few recent reports exist that describe the symptoms or treatment of travelers and migrants with M .…”