Schistosomiasis among Travelers: New Aspects of an Old Disease
| Autor: | Eli Schwartz, Galit Artom, Esther Marva, Marc Victor Assous, Galia Rahav, Eyal Meltzer |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2006 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol 12, Iss 11, Pp 1696-1700 (2006) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 1080-6040 1080-6059 |
| DOI: | 10.3201/eid1211.060340 |
| Popis: | Schistosomiasis is increasingly encountered among travelers returning from the tropics; signs and symptoms of travelers may differ from those of local populations. During 1993–2005, schistosomiasis was diagnosed in 137 Israeli travelers, most of whom were infected while in sub-Saharan Africa. Clinical findings compatible with acute schistosomiasis were recorded for 75 (66.4%) patients and included fever (71.3%), respiratory symptoms (42.9%), and cutaneous symptoms (45.2%). At time of physical examination, 42 patients (37.1%) still had symptoms of acute schistosomiasis, chronic schistosomiasis had developed in 23 (20.4%), and 48 (42.5%) were asymptomatic. Of patients who were initially asymptomatic, chronic schistosomiasis developed in 26%. Diagnosis was confirmed by serologic testing for 87.6% of patients, but schistosome ova were found in only 25.6%. We conclude that acute schistosomiasis is a major clinical problem among travelers, diagnostic and therapeutic options for acute schistosomiasis are limited, and asymptomatic travelers returning from schistosomiasis-endemic areas should be screened and treated. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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