High Prevalence of Strongyloidiasis in Spain: A Hospital-Based Study

Ana Requena-Méndez; Joaquin Salas-Coronas; Fernando Salvador; Joan Gomez-Junyent; Judith Villar-Garcia; Miguel Santin; Carme Muñoz; Ana Gonzalez-Cordon; Maria Teresa Cabezas Fernández; Elena Sulleiro; Maria del Mar Arenas; Dolors Somoza; Jose Vazquez-Villegas; Begoña Treviño; Esperanza Rodríguez; Maria Eugenia Valls; Carme Subirá; Jose Muñoz

Strongyloidiasis is an infection caused by the helminth Strongyloides stercoralis which is ubiquitous in tropical and subtropical areas. In the rest of the countries, it is also frequent in migrants coming from tropical and subtropical areas. The disease is more severe when an infected subject has an impaired immune system. Within this study we have evaluated the prevalence of this infection in people being attended in six Spanish hospitals. The prevalence was around 9%, being higher in Africa and Latin America compared with other regions. In addition, the prevalence in patients with an impaired immune system (immunosuppression) was lower compared with people non suffering immunosuppression. These results suggest that the prevalence of strongyloidiasis is quite high among migrants living in Spain and that a screening programme should be designed, particularly in immunosuppressed patients that are at more risk of suffering severe complications of the infection. public health impact in non-endemic countries that are hosting these populations [1, 2] . The infection is ubiquitous in tropical and subtropical areas although it may also occur in temperate countries with the appropriate conditions such as certain areas of Spain or Italy [3] [4] [5] . Worldwide estimates based on standard faecal techniques have suggested that between 30 and 100 million people worldwide are infected. These figures may be underestimated due to the low sensitivity of the traditional diagnostic methods [1, 6] .