Strongyloidiasis in immigrants in Southern Spain.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyse clinical and epidemiological characteristics of immigrant patients diagnosed with strongyloidiasis in our area. METHODS: An analyse was performed on patients with strongyloidiasis seen in the Tropical Medicine Unit of the "Hospital de Poniente" in Almeria (Spain), from April 2004 to May 2012. RESULTS: A total of 320 patients were diagnosed with Strongyloides stercoralis infection, and 284 out of 314 patients (90.4%) had a positive specific serology. Forty-two percent of the patients reported symptoms and 45% had eosinophilia. The serological results were monitored in some of the patients, confirming a loss of antibodies in all 20 patients studied. CONCLUSIONS: Strongyloidiasis is a parasitic disease increasingly diagnosed in developed countries due to increased migratory flows from endemic areas. Often being asymptomatic, its diagnosis and treatment may prevent fatal outcomes, especially in immunocompromised patients.