Strongyloidiasis in immigrants in Southern Spain.

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.