High prevalence of clustered tuberculosis cases in Peruvian migrants in Florence, Italy

Lorenzo Zammarchi; Enrico Tortoli; Emanuele Borroni; Filippo Bartalesi; Marianne Strohmeyer; Simonetta Baretti; Maria Tullia Simonetti; Carola Liendo; Maria Grazia Santini; Gian Maria Rossolini; Eduardo Gotuzzo; Alessandro Bartoloni

doi:10.4081/idr.2014.5646

Infectious Disease Reports (Dec 2014)

High prevalence of clustered tuberculosis cases in Peruvian migrants in Florence, Italy

Lorenzo Zammarchi,
Enrico Tortoli,
Emanuele Borroni,
Filippo Bartalesi,
Marianne Strohmeyer,
Simonetta Baretti,
Maria Tullia Simonetti,
Carola Liendo,
Maria Grazia Santini,
Gian Maria Rossolini,
Eduardo Gotuzzo,
Alessandro Bartoloni

Affiliations

Lorenzo Zammarchi: Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence School of Medicine
Enrico Tortoli: Emerging Bacterial Pathogens, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan
Emanuele Borroni: Emerging Bacterial Pathogens, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan
Filippo Bartalesi: SOD Malattie Infettive e Tropicali, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Florence
Marianne Strohmeyer: Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence School of Medicine
Simonetta Baretti: UF Igiene e Sanità Pubblica, ASL 10 Zona Firenze, Florence
Maria Tullia Simonetti: SOD Microbiologia e Virologia, Centro di Riferimento per i Micobatteri della Regione Toscana, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Florence
Carola Liendo: Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima
Maria Grazia Santini: UF Igiene e Sanità Pubblica, ASL 10 Zona Firenze, Florence
Gian Maria Rossolini: SOD Microbiologia e Virologia, Centro di Riferimento per i Micobatteri della Regione Toscana, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Florence
Eduardo Gotuzzo: Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima
Alessandro Bartoloni: Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence School of Medicine; SOD Malattie Infettive e Tropicali, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Florence

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/idr.2014.5646
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 6, no. 4

Abstract

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Tuberculosis is a leading cause of morbidity for Peruvian migrants in Florence, Italy, where they account for about 20% of yearly diagnosed cases. A retrospective study on cases notified in Peruvian residents in Florence in the period 2001-2010 was carried out and available Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were genotyped (MIRU-VNTR-24 and Spoligotyping). One hundred thirty eight cases were retrieved. Genotyping performed in 87 strains revealed that 39 (44.8%) belonged to 12 clusters. Assuming that in each cluster the transmission of tuberculosis from the index case took place in Florence, a large proportion of cases could be preventable by improving early diagnosis of contagious cases and contact tracing.

tuberculosis, immigrants, migrants, cluster, epidemiology, Peru, Italy

Published in Infectious Disease Reports

ISSN: 2036-7430 (Print); 2036-7449 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Other systems of medicine
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/idr

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