title: Prevalence of chronic infections and susceptibility to measles and varicella-zoster virus in Latin American immigrants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Large numbers of Latin American immigrants recently arrived in Western Europe. Curative and preventive programmes need to take account of their risk of suffering and transmitting imported chronic infections and of their susceptibility to cosmopolitan infections. We aimed to assess the prevalence and co-occurrence of imported chronic infections among Latin American immigrants, and their susceptibility to highly prevalent cosmopolitan infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult participants were recruited in the community and in a primary health centre in Geneva in 2008. Serological tests were performed on stored sera for HIV, HBV, syphilis, Strongyloides stercoralis, Trypanosoma cruzi, varicella and measles. We considered only chronic active infections in the analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 1 012 participants, aged 37.2 (SD 11.3) years, were mostly female (82.5 %) and Bolivians (48 %). Overall, 209 (20.7 %) had at least one and 27 (2.7 %) two or more chronic infections. T. cruzi (12.8 %) and S. stercoralis (8.4 %) were the most prevalent chronic active infections compared to syphilis (0.4 %), HBV (0.4 %) and HIV (1.4 %). Concomitant infections affected 28.2 and 18.5 % of T. cruzi and S. stercoralis infected cases. Bolivian origin (aOR: 13.6; 95 % CI: 3.2-57.9) was associated with risk of multiple infections. Susceptibilities for VZV and measles were 0.7 and 1.4 %, respectively. Latin American immigrants are at risk of complications and possible reactivation of chronic parasitic infections but have overall low risks of chronic viral and syphilitic active infections.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Systematic screening for chronic active parasitic infections is therefore necessary especially among Bolivians. The high protection rate against measles and VZV doesn't require specific preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Rue Gabrielle Perret Gentil 6, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland. yves.jackson@hcuge.ch.|Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. yves.jackson@hcuge.ch.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lilian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arm-Vernez
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Laboratory Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mauris
authors.affiliation: Division of Correctional Medicine and Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.affiliation: Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chappuis
authors.affiliation: Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.|Division of Correctional Medicine and Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Getaz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001838:Bolivia / Q000208:ethnology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000208:ethnology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Chronic infection; Co-infection; Europe; HIV; Immigrants; Strongyloides stercoralis; Trypanosma cruzi