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Surveillance of Human Echinococcosis in Castilla-Leon (Spain) between 2000-2012.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an important health problem in many areas of the world including the Mediterranean region. However, the real CE epidemiological situation is not well established. In fact, it is possible that CE is a re-emerging disease due to the weakness of current control programs. METHODOLOGY:We performed a retrospective observational study of inpatients diagnosed with CE from January 2000 to December 2012 in the Western Spain Public Health-Care System. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:During the study period, 5510 cases of CE were diagnosed and 3161 (57.4%) of the cases were males. The age mean and standard deviation were 67.8 ± 16.98 years old, respectively, and 634 patients (11.5%) were younger than 45 years old. A total of 1568 patients (28.5%) had CE as the primary diagnosis, and it was most frequently described in patients <45 years old. Futhermore, a secondary diagnosis of CE was usually found in patients >70 year old associated with other causes of comorbidity. The period incidence rate was 17 cases per 105 person-years and was significantly higher when compared to the incidence declared through the Notifiable Disease System (1.88 cases per 105 person-years; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS:CE in western Spain is an underestimated parasitic disease. It has an active transmission, with an occurrence in pediatric cases, but has decreased in the recent years. The systematic search of Hospital Discharge Records of the National Health System Register (HDR) may be a more accurate method than other methods for the estimation of the incidence of CE in endemic areas.

SUBMITTER: Lopez-Bernus A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4618931 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundCystic echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. Although present throughout Europe, deficiencies in the official reporting of CE result in under-reporting and misreporting of this disease, which in turn is reflected in the wrong opinion that CE is not an important health problem. By using an alternative data source, this study aimed at describing the clinical and temporal-spatial characteristics of CE hospitalizations in Spain between 1997 and 2012.Methodology/principal findingsWe performed a retrospective descriptive study using the Hospitalization Minimum Data Set (CMBD in Spanish). All CMBD's hospital discharges with echinococcosis diagnosis placed in first diagnostic position were reviewed. Hospitalization rates were computed and clinical characteristics were described. Spatial and temporal distribution of hospital discharges was also assessed. Between 1997 and 2012, 14,010 hospitalizations with diagnosis of CE were recorded, 55% were men and 67% were aged over 45 years. Pediatric hospitalizations occurred during the whole study period. The 95.2% were discharged at home, and only 1.7% were exitus. The average cost was 8,439.11 €. The hospitalization rate per 100,000 per year showed a decreasing trend during the study period. All the autonomous communities registered discharges, even those considered as non-endemic. Maximum rates were reached by Extremadura, Castilla-Leon and Aragon. Comparison of the CMBD data and the official Compulsory Notifiable Diseases (CND) reports from 2005 to 2012 showed that official data were lower than registered hospitalization discharges.ConclusionsHospitalizations distribution was uneven by year and autonomous region. Although CE hospitalization rates have decreased considerably due to the success of control programs, it remains a public health problem due to its severity and economic impact. Therefore, it would be desirable to improve its oversight and surveillance, since officially reported data are underestimating the real burden of CE in Spain.

Project description:BackgroundStudies in the literature have indicated that the timing of seasonal influenza epidemic varies across latitude, suggesting the involvement of meteorological and environmental conditions in the transmission of influenza. In this study, we investigated the link between meteorological parameters and influenza activity in 9 sub-national areas with temperate and subtropical climates: Berlin (Germany), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Castile and León (Spain) and all 6 districts in Israel.MethodsWe estimated weekly influenza-associated influenza-like-illness (ILI) or Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) incidence to represent influenza activity using data from each country's sentinel surveillance during 2000-2011 (Spain) and 2006-2011 (all others). Meteorological data was obtained from ground stations, satellite and assimilated data. Two generalized additive models (GAM) were developed, with one using specific humidity as a covariate and another using minimum temperature. Precipitation and solar radiation were included as additional covariates in both models. The models were adjusted for previous weeks' influenza activity, and were trained separately for each study location.ResultsInfluenza activity was inversely associated (p<0.05) with specific humidity in all locations. Minimum temperature was inversely associated with influenza in all 3 temperate locations, but not in all subtropical locations. Inverse associations between influenza and solar radiation were found in most locations. Associations with precipitation were location-dependent and inconclusive. We used the models to estimate influenza activity a week ahead for the 2010/2011 period which was not used in training the models. With exception of Ljubljana and Israel's Haifa District, the models could closely follow the observed data especially during the start and the end of epidemic period. In these locations, correlation coefficients between the observed and estimated ranged between 0.55 to 0.91and the model-estimated influenza peaks were within 3 weeks from the observations.ConclusionOur study demonstrated the significant link between specific humidity and influenza activity across temperate and subtropical climates, and that inclusion of meteorological parameters in the surveillance system may further our understanding of influenza transmission patterns.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Influenza viruses (FLUV) are continuously evolving, which explain the occurrence of seasonal influenza epidemics and the need to review the vaccine strain composition annually. The aim is to describe the genetic diversity and clinical outcomes of FLUV detected at a tertiary university hospital in Barcelona (Spain) during the 2012-2016 seasons. METHODS:The detection of FLUV from patients attended at the Emergency Department or admitted to the hospital was performed by either immunofluorescence or PCR-based assays. A specific real-time one-step multiplex RT-PCR was performed for influenza A (FLUAV) subtyping. The complete coding haemagglutinin domain 1 (HA1) and neuraminidase (NA) (2015-2016) protein sequences from a representative sampling were molecular characterised. RESULTS:A total 1774 (66.1%) FLUAV and 910 (33.9%) influenza B (FLUBV) cases were laboratory-confirmed. The hospitalisation rate was different between seasons, being the highest (81.4%) during the 2014-2015 season. FLUV were genetically close to vaccine strains except to the 2014-2015, in which most characterised A(H3N2) viruses belonged to a genetic group different from the vaccine strain. During the 2015-2016 season, B/Victoria-like viruses were the most predominant, but this component was not included in the trivalent vaccine used. Mutations D222G or D222N in HA1-domain were found in 3 A(H1N1)pdm09 strains from ICU-admitted cases. Three A(H1N1)pdm09 strains carried the NA H275Y (2) and S247N (1) mutations, respectively related to resistance or decreased susceptibility to oseltamivir. CONCLUSIONS:The circulation of drifted A(H3N2) strains during the 2014-2015 season was related to the high hospitalisation rate due to the mismatch with the vaccine strains. The predominance of a FLUBV lineage not included in the trivalent influenza vaccine during the 2015-2016 season highlights the need to use a tetravalent influenza vaccine. Virological surveillance of viral variants carrying protein changes that alter tropism and susceptibility to antivirals features should be strengthened in hospital settings.

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Surveillance of Human Echinococcosis in Castilla-Leon (Spain) between 2000-2012.

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