Abstract
Aim: To obtain the first molecular epidemiological survey of Tropheryma whipplei intestinal colonization in Italy. Materials & methods: Retrospective, observational study to assess the prevalence of T. whipplei, the causative agent of Whipple's disease, in stool samples (real-time PCR) of patients attending the Center for Tropical Diseases (Italy) and risk factors associated. Results: Overall prevalence was 6.9% (85/1240). The younger age group showed a significantly higher rate than older age group (12.7 vs 5.9%, p = 0.002). The prevalence was 4.9% for Italians and 9.3% for migrants (p = 0.003). Among the latter, children less than 10 years had higher prevalence than older ones (17.3 vs 7.3%, p = 0.003). The young age, male gender and Giardia duodenalis and Entamoeba histolytica coinfection were risk factors. Conclusion: Our study confirms an increased risk of acquiring T. whipplei infection during childhood, under poor sanitary conditions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 283-292 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Future Microbiology |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2019 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Europe
- PCR
- Tropheryma whipplei
- Whipple's disease
- epidemiology
- intestinal colonization
- migrants
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Microbiology (medical)