Evidence of Low Prevalence of Cystic Echinococcosis in the Catanzaro Province, Calabria Region, Italy
Tommaso Manciulli, Riccardo Serraino, Gian Luca D’Alessandro, Letizia Cattaneo, Mara Mariconti, Ambra Vola, Francesco Taccari, Roberta Narra, Giuseppe De Vito, Enrico Maria Trecarichi, Maria Mazzitelli, Giovanni Matera, Adriano Casulli, Nadia Marascio, Enrico Brunetti, Francesca Tamarozzi, Carlo Torti
Abstract
affects more than 1 million people worldwide and is responsible for high costs in the healthcare system. A clear knowledge of the prevalence of CE and its clinical characteristics could have an important impact on the approach to its diagnosis and to the public health planning of treatment and control interventions. We performed a prevalence study in four municipalities of Catanzaro Province, South Italy. This area is considered to be at high risk of CE because of ovine breeding. We screened by abdominal ultrasound 2,426 volunteers, four of whom had abdominal CE. Given the need for prevention and control programs for CE in endemic areas of Italy, a detailed mapping of prevalence of CE, to complement data obtained through hospital discharge records, appears imperative.