Multicenter epidemiological and clinical study on imported Chagas diseases in Alicante, Spain.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of patients with Chagas disease outside of areas that are generally considered endemic. The aim of this investigation is to describe the clinical profile of a series of patients with Chagas disease in Alicante, Spain, which is a province located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This study was performed at four general hospitals in Alicante between January 2002 and May 2011. A total of 128 patients from seven countries were diagnosed with Trypanosoma cruzi. The main country of origin of these patients was Bolivia (n5101; 78.9%), and the median of age of these patients was 35 years (range: 0­72 years). Four (3.3%) patients were children under 14 years of age, and 81 (63.3%) were female. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to analyze 106 patients, 66.0% of whom demonstrated positive PCR results. Visceral involvement was diagnosed in 26.8%: 24.1% demonstrated cardiac involvement, 0.9% demonstrated gastrointestinal involvement, 0.9% demonstrated cardiac and gastrointestinal involvement, and 0.9% demonstrated involvement of the central nervous system. Syncope was found to be associated with cardiomyopathy (28.0% versus 5.2%) (odds ratio: 6.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.5­27.1). Seventy-six patients received treatment with benznidazole, of whom 57 (75.0%) completed the treatment course without significant adverse events and 17.1% discontinued benznidazole due to adverse events. In total, 50% of patients experienced documented adverse reactions. Among patients with positive PCR results before treatment, all demonstrated negative PCR results following treatment. In conclusion, majority of our patients were female Bolivians immigrants, one of four of our patients demonstrated cardiac involvement, and treatment tolerance was poor. It is important to improve the clinical and epidemiological knowledge of Chagas disease in nonendemic with additional multicenter studies in order to determine the magnitude of this problem and provide improved public health and health resource planning.

Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Elche (Spain): comparison of the seroprevalence in immigrants from Paraguay and Bolivia.

Chagas disease is a global public health problem due to the recent emigration of people from Latin America to other regions, including Europe. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection among Paraguayans and Bolivians living in Elche (Spain), a city located in the Mediterranean Coast of Spain. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Capillary blood samples were obtained through a finger prick, and collected on filter paper. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect immunofluorescence tests were performed to search for anti-T. cruzi IgG antibodies in the filter papers. Thirteen out of 201 participants were infected with T. cruzi in this study, seven out of 73 Bolivians and six out of 128 Paraguayans, corresponding to seroprevalences of 9·59% (95%CI, 4·72-18·5%) and 4·69% (95%CI, 2·17-9·85%), respectively. Palpitation, chest pain, and migration from rural endemic areas were the most common clinical and epidemiological risk factors associated with T. cruzi infection detected in the Paraguayan group. This study highlights that Chagas disease is no longer limited to the Bolivian population living in Spain. It is important to note this wider prevalence and, therefore, not discount Paraguayans in the screening for Chagas disease in Spain. Indeed, this should be considered for all immigrants from Latin America.