title: Imported loiasis in Italy: an analysis of 100 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  loiasis is a neglected filariasis, affecting millions of individuals living in the rainforest areas of West and Central Africa. Aim of this study was to compare clinical and parasitological manifestations of loiasis between subjects born in endemic areas and expatriates/travelers.
  
  
  METHODS
  we report clinical and parasitological manifestations of 100 patients with imported loiasis seen between 1993 and 2013 at the Center of Tropical Diseases, Negrar, Italy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  among the 100 patients, 30 were African immigrants, 70 were Europeans (59 long-term expatriates and 11 travelers). Thirty-five patients (19 Africans and 16 Europeans) had positive microfilaremia. Calabar swellings were twice as frequent in Europeans (90%) than in Africans (46.7%), while a history of "eyeworm" was recorded in a higher proportion of Africans (43.3%) than in Europeans (17.4%). The median duration of exposure in the non-endemic group was also fairly long (14.6 years). Different drug regimens were used for treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  we suggest that the differences between Africans and Europeans are more likely to be related to genetic differences, rather than to chronicity. Moreover the management of imported loiasis needs standardization.
authors.affiliation: Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), Sacro Cuore Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy. Electronic address: federico.gobbi@sacrocuore.it.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gobbi
authors.affiliation: Prevention Department, ULSS 20 Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Postiglione
authors.affiliation: Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), Sacro Cuore Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Angheben
authors.affiliation: Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), Sacro Cuore Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marocco
authors.affiliation: Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), Sacro Cuore Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Geraldo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.affiliation: Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), Sacro Cuore Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Dora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buonfrate
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital of Trieste, Trieste, Italy. Electronic address: martamasca@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mascarello
authors.affiliation: Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), Sacro Cuore Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gobbo
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France. Electronic address: michel.boussinesq@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boussinesq
authors.affiliation: Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), Sacro Cuore Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Zeno
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bisoffi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D044383:Black People; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008118:Loiasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D012876:Skin Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D014195:Travel; D044465:White People
keywords: Imported; Loiasis; Neglected; Travel; Treatment