Screening for infectious diseases in newly arrived asymptomatic immigrants in southern Italy

Abstract

Background: Screenings for infectious diseases in asymptomatic immigrants currently takes place when receiving new arrivals. Aims: We describe the frequency of infections in a cohort of newly arrived asymptomatic immigrants in Southern Italy. Methods: We studied a cohort of 238 Sub-Saharan African and Asian men hosted at a reception centre (CARA) in Foggia between January and December 2015. The tuberculin skin test for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and serology/virology testing for HBV, HCV, HIV were performed. Results: From this cohort, 205 individuals agreed to be tested for serological/virological markers only, while 82 agreed to be tested for LTBI only; 49 people agreed to have both tests. Among those tested for virological markers, 23/205 (11.2%) were HBsAg positive; 12/23 (52.2%) individuals had chronic active hepatitis; 77/205 (37.6%) individuals had only anti-HBc positivity. HCV infection was present in 8/205 (3.9%) individuals, and chronic HCV infection, was diagnosed in only two people. Only 2/205 (1.0%) individuals presented with anti-HIV and HIV-RNA positivity. We found LTBI in 29.6% of TB-tested individuals. Conclusions: Asymptomatic immigrants are at increased risk for some infections, mainly HBV and tuberculosis.

Differences in Incidence of Acute Viral Hepatitis between Foreigners and Autochthonous Population in Italy

“…The comparison of the incidence rates observed in the present study with those in previous years and/or in other host countries is not possible due to the lack of studies on surveillance systems which report incidence data [9]; on the contrary, there is ample information in the literature regarding migration, communicable diseases and related prevalence data. Prevalence among newly arrived migrants in Italy ranged from 11.2% to 22.7% for HBsAg and from 3.9 to 20.4 for anti-HCV [13,35] among adults, and was 2.5% (HBsAg) and 1.1 (anti-HCV) among unaccompanied children living in reception centres [36]. Considering both newly arrived and resident migrants, prevalence was 12.2% for HBsAg and from 3.3 to 6.2% for anti-HCV [12,14]; additional evidence shows that these prevalence rates are higher than the corresponding ones among Italians [16,37].…”

“…The prevalence of HCV infection is highest among refugees and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe [9]. Studies carried out among migrants and refugees in different Italian cities show prevalence rates of HBV and HCV ranging from 9.6 to 12.2 [11][12][13] and from 3.3 to 6.2 [11,12,14], respectively.…”

Quercetin, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Curcumin, and Resveratrol: From Dietary Sources to Human MicroRNA Modulation

“…They are often linked to excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [2,3]. Polyphenols are the most abundant antioxidants in our diet and are commonly present in fruits [4], vegetables, cereals, olives [5], dry legumes [6], licorice [7], chocolate and beverages, such as tea, coffee, and wine. Divided into different classes, according to their chemical structure, polyphenols describe essentially phenolic acids, stilbenes, flavonoids, lignans, and curcuminoids (see Figure 1).…”