Seroprevalence of <em>Strongyloides stercoralis</em> in Patients about to Receive Immunosuppressive Treatment in Gran Canaria (Spain)

<i>Strongyloides stercoralis</i> infection is generally asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, but in the immunosuppressed host, it is associated with more severe and complicated forms with a worse prognosis. <i>S. stercoralis</i> seroprevalence was studied in 256 patients befor...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cristina Carranza-Rodríguez, Laura López-Delgado, Álvaro Granados-Magan, José-Luis Pérez-Arellano
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-03-01
Series:Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/3/181
Description
Summary:<i>Strongyloides stercoralis</i> infection is generally asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, but in the immunosuppressed host, it is associated with more severe and complicated forms with a worse prognosis. <i>S. stercoralis</i> seroprevalence was studied in 256 patients before receiving immunosuppressive treatment (before kidney transplantation or starting biological treatments). As a control group, serum bank data of 642 individuals representative of the population of the Canary Islands were retrospectively analyzed. To avoid false positives due to cross-reactivity with other similar helminth antigens present in the study area, IgG antibodies to <i>Toxocara</i> spp. and <i>Echinococcus</i> spp. were evaluated in cases positive for <i>Strongyloides</i>. The data show this is a prevalent infection: 1.1% of the Canarian population, 2.38% of Canarian individuals awaiting organ transplants and 4.8% of individuals about to start biological agents. On the other hand, strongyloidiasis can remain asymptomatic (as observed in our study population). There are no indirect data, such as country of origin or eosinophilia, to help raise suspicion of the disease. In summary, our study suggests that screening for <i>S. stercoralis</i> infection should be performed in patients who receive immunosuppressive treatment for solid organ transplantation or biological agents, in line with previous publications.
ISSN:2414-6366