Invisible burden: Prevalence of Chagas disease in Latin American migrants in Turin, North-Western Italy – A STROBE compliant-cross-sectional study

Objectives

Chagas disease (CD), or American trypanosomiasis, is a parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, primarily transmitted by triatomine bugs. Increased travels and migrations introduced CD to non-endemic regions, including Europe. In Italy, the disease has raised public attention mainly in northern regions, where Latin American migrant population is larger.

This study aims to describe a CD screening initiative in Turin, Piedmont, during the World Chagas disease Day. We focused on migrants from CD endemic countries of Latin America.

Methods

A total of 63 serum samples from Latin American migrants were collected and tested for CD with a chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) for initial screening, followed by Western Blot (WB) for confirmation, analyzing demographic data.

Results

Out of the 63 individuals screened, two tested positive for CD. Both positive cases were from Bolivia. Seropositive individuals were 54 and 72 years-old, and lived in Bolivia for 31 and 69 years.

Conclusions

The screening initiative suggests an underestimated prevalence of CD among Latin American migrants in Turin, underscoring the need of targeted public health interventions and emphasizing the importance of CD screening and awareness programs.