Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013:2013:978146.
doi: 10.1155/2013/978146. Epub 2013 Sep 14.

Cystic echinococcosis in a single tertiary care center in Rome, Italy

Linda Petrone  1 , Gilda Cuzzi, Lidia Colace, Giuseppe Maria Ettorre, Elisa Busi-Rizzi, Vincenzo Schininà, Leopoldo Pucillo, Claudio Angeletti, Stefania Pane, Antonino Di Caro, Eugenio Bordi, Enrico Girardi, Edoardo Pozio, Angela Corpolongo, Antonella Teggi, Enrico Brunetti, Delia Goletti
Affiliations

Cystic echinococcosis in a single tertiary care center in Rome, Italy

Linda Petrone et al. Biomed Res Int. 2013.

Abstract

Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a chronic, clinically complex, and neglected disease. Its prevalence in Italy, a country of medium to high endemicity, remains poorly defined, as notification has long ceased to be mandatory.

Methods: We set up a retrospective cohort study involving all CE patients followed at our institute between January 2005 and December 2012. Demographical and clinical features were recorded and analyzed.

Results: CE was found in 28 patients (64.3%), mostly Italians from the central regions (50%), followed by subjects from the islands (33.3%) and Southern Italy (16.7%). Their median age was 45 years (IQR: 38.5-66.5), with Eastern Europeans being significantly younger (28 years, IQR: 19-39) than other patients (P ≤ 0.0001). A total of 149 cysts, mostly with hepatic localization (96%), were described. Based on the WHO classification, the cysts were mainly small (80.5%) and active (CE1 (73.8%); CE2 (7.4%)). Active cysts were more common in Eastern Europeans (85.7%) than Italians (66.7%).

Conclusion: Our data confirm CE occurrence in Italy. We emphasize the importance to have a national CE registry, opportunely recently introduced. This is essential to assess CE prevalence in this country, implement appropriate control measures, and improve patient management.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the cystic lesion (CL) and types of CE cysts described according to WHO ultrasound classification, showing active (CE1, CE2), transitional (CE3a, CE3b) and inactive (CE4, CE5) cyst types which follow the natural history of CE. CE: Cystic Echinococcosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Choropleth map showing the origin of the total CE cases identified at INMI from 2005–2012.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Budke CM, Deplazes P, Torgerson PR. Global socioeconomic impact of cystic echinococcosis. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2006;12(2):296–303. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Craig PS, McManus DP, Lightowlers MW, et al. Prevention and control of cystic echinococcosis. Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2007;7(6):385–394. - PubMed
    1. Gonlugur U, Ozcelik S, Gonlugur TE, et al. The retrospective annual surgical incidence of cystic echinococcosis in sivas, Turkey. Zoonoses and Public Health. 2009;56(5):209–214. - PubMed
    1. Jenkins DJ, Romig T, Thompson RCA. Emergence/re-emergence of Echinococcus spp.—a global update. International Journal for Parasitology. 2005;35(11-12):1205–1219. - PubMed
    1. Seimenis A. Overview of the epidemiological situation on echinococcosis in the Mediterranean region. Acta Tropica. 2003;85(2):191–195. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources