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Revista Española de Salud Pública
On-line version ISSN 2173-9110Print version ISSN 1135-5727
Abstract
VILLASANTE FERRER, Andrea; IRANZO TATAY, Agustín; AZNAR OROVAL, Eduardo and MOLLAR MASERES, Joan. Study of the current status of Schistosoma haematobium infection in the European Union. An approach to the possible risk in Spain. Rev. Esp. Salud Publica [online]. 2018, vol.92, e201804010. Epub Apr 13, 2018. ISSN 2173-9110.
Background.
In Europe, urogenital schistosomiasis was not endemic, however in 2014 the first cases of a European autochthonous infection outbreak appeared in Corsica (France). In this work a search and description of cases, both import and native urogenital schistosomiasis, published in the European Union (EU) during the last 20 years was made. In addition, a qualitative risk assessment in Spain was carried out.
Methods.
A bibliographic search of European Union published cases over the last 20 years (1997-2017) was performed using PubMed. Works that evidenced the presence of intermediate hosts Bulinus truncatus and Planorbarius metidjensis in our country were searched in PubMed, ResearchGate and Google Scholar. Finally, a risk assessment of urogenital schistosomiasis in Spain using the 2011 ECDC guide was made.
Results.
481 cases in the EU were found. 328 were imported and 152 autochthonous. All from the autochthonous cases were focused in Corsica, where people from different nationalities got sicked. The presence of two potential host species was documented in different locations of our geography. The result of the risk assessment in Spain was low risk.
Conclusions.
Although the risk assessment in Spain was low risk, several factors as the presence of intermediate hosts in Spain, the increase on migratory flows, and the role that the S. haematobium-bovis hybrid had in the outbreak of Corsica, must alert community and health authorities about the possibility that autochthonous cases in our country appear.
Keywords : Schistosoma haematobium; Genetic hybridization; Endemic disease; Spain; France; Europe; Risk assessment; Intermediate host; Planorbid; Bulinus.