Tags

Type your tag names separated by a space and hit enter

Filariasis in travelers presenting to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2007 Dec 26; 1(3):e88.PN

Abstract

BACKGROUND

As international travel increases, there is rising exposure to many pathogens not traditionally encountered in the resource-rich countries of the world. Filarial infections, a great problem throughout the tropics and subtropics, are relatively rare among travelers even to filaria-endemic regions of the world. The GeoSentinel Surveillance Network, a global network of medicine/travel clinics, was established in 1995 to detect morbidity trends among travelers.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

We examined data from the GeoSentinel database to determine demographic and travel characteristics associated with filaria acquisition and to understand the differences in clinical presentation between nonendemic visitors and those born in filaria-endemic regions of the world. Filarial infections comprised 0.62% (n = 271) of all medical conditions reported to the GeoSentinel Network from travelers; 37% of patients were diagnosed with Onchocerca volvulus, 25% were infected with Loa loa, and another 25% were diagnosed with Wuchereria bancrofti. Most infections were reported from immigrants and from those immigrants returning to their county of origin (those visiting friends and relatives); the majority of filarial infections were acquired in sub-Saharan Africa. Among the patients who were natives of filaria-nonendemic regions, 70.6% acquired their filarial infection with exposure greater than 1 month. Moreover, nonendemic visitors to filaria-endemic regions were more likely to present to GeoSentinel sites with clinically symptomatic conditions compared with those who had lifelong exposure.

SIGNIFICANCE

Codifying the filarial infections presenting to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network has provided insights into the clinical differences seen among filaria-infected expatriates and those from endemic regions and demonstrated that O. volvulus infection can be acquired with short-term travel.

Links

PMC Free PDF

Authors+Show Affiliations

Lipner EM
Office of Global Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Law MA
No affiliation info available
Barnett E
No affiliation info available
Keystone JS
No affiliation info available
von Sonnenburg F
No affiliation info available
Loutan L
No affiliation info available
Prevots DR
No affiliation info available
Klion AD
No affiliation info available
Nutman TB
No affiliation info available
GeoSentinel Surveillance Network
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AdolescentAdultAfrica South of the SaharaAgedAnimalsChi-Square DistributionChildChild, PreschoolEndemic DiseasesFemaleFilariasisGlobal HealthHumansInfantInfant, NewbornLoaMaleMiddle AgedOnchocerca volvulusPopulation SurveillanceTravelWuchereria bancroftiYoung Adult

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Language

eng

PubMed ID

18160987

Citation

Lipner, Ettie M., et al. "Filariasis in Travelers Presenting to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network." PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, vol. 1, no. 3, 2007, pp. e88.
Lipner EM, Law MA, Barnett E, et al. Filariasis in travelers presenting to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2007;1(3):e88.
Lipner, E. M., Law, M. A., Barnett, E., Keystone, J. S., von Sonnenburg, F., Loutan, L., Prevots, D. R., Klion, A. D., & Nutman, T. B. (2007). Filariasis in travelers presenting to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 1(3), e88.
Lipner EM, et al. Filariasis in Travelers Presenting to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2007 Dec 26;1(3):e88. PubMed PMID: 18160987.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Filariasis in travelers presenting to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network. AU - Lipner,Ettie M, AU - Law,Melissa A, AU - Barnett,Elizabeth, AU - Keystone,Jay S, AU - von Sonnenburg,Frank, AU - Loutan,Louis, AU - Prevots,D Rebecca, AU - Klion,Amy D, AU - Nutman,Thomas B, AU - ,, Y1 - 2007/12/26/ PY - 2007/05/21/received PY - 2007/08/14/accepted PY - 2007/12/28/pubmed PY - 2010/3/24/medline PY - 2007/12/28/entrez SP - e88 EP - e88 JF - PLoS neglected tropical diseases JO - PLoS Negl Trop Dis VL - 1 IS - 3 N2 - BACKGROUND: As international travel increases, there is rising exposure to many pathogens not traditionally encountered in the resource-rich countries of the world. Filarial infections, a great problem throughout the tropics and subtropics, are relatively rare among travelers even to filaria-endemic regions of the world. The GeoSentinel Surveillance Network, a global network of medicine/travel clinics, was established in 1995 to detect morbidity trends among travelers. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined data from the GeoSentinel database to determine demographic and travel characteristics associated with filaria acquisition and to understand the differences in clinical presentation between nonendemic visitors and those born in filaria-endemic regions of the world. Filarial infections comprised 0.62% (n = 271) of all medical conditions reported to the GeoSentinel Network from travelers; 37% of patients were diagnosed with Onchocerca volvulus, 25% were infected with Loa loa, and another 25% were diagnosed with Wuchereria bancrofti. Most infections were reported from immigrants and from those immigrants returning to their county of origin (those visiting friends and relatives); the majority of filarial infections were acquired in sub-Saharan Africa. Among the patients who were natives of filaria-nonendemic regions, 70.6% acquired their filarial infection with exposure greater than 1 month. Moreover, nonendemic visitors to filaria-endemic regions were more likely to present to GeoSentinel sites with clinically symptomatic conditions compared with those who had lifelong exposure. SIGNIFICANCE: Codifying the filarial infections presenting to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network has provided insights into the clinical differences seen among filaria-infected expatriates and those from endemic regions and demonstrated that O. volvulus infection can be acquired with short-term travel. SN - 1935-2735 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/18160987/Filariasis_in_travelers_presenting_to_the_GeoSentinel_Surveillance_Network_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -