Silvia Angeletti1, Giancarlo Ceccarelli2, Serena Vita2, Giordano Dicuonzo1, Maurizio Lopalco3, Etleva Dedej1, Aletheia Blasi1, Francesca Antonelli1, Alessia Conti1, Marina De Cesaris1, Francesca Farchi4, Alessandra Lo Presti4, Massimo Ciccozzi5. 1. Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory, University Hospital Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy. 2. Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases. University of Rome, "Sapienza," Policlinico Umberto I", Rome, Italy; Migrant Health Research Organisation (Mi-HeRO) - Centro di Ricerca sulla Salute delle Popolazioni Mobili e Globale, Italy. 3. Sanitary Bureau of Asylum Seekers Center of Castelnuovo di Porto, Rome, Italy; Auxilium Società Cooperativa Sociale, Senise (PZ), Italy. 4. Department of Infectious, Parasitic, and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Epidemiology Unit, Reference Centre on Phylogeny, Molecular Epidemiology, and Microbial Evolution (FEMEM), National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy. 5. Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory, University Hospital Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy; Department of Infectious, Parasitic, and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Epidemiology Unit, Reference Centre on Phylogeny, Molecular Epidemiology, and Microbial Evolution (FEMEM), National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: ciccozzi@iss.it.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Three years of civil war in Syria have caused death and increase of communicable diseases. The suffering population has been forced to migrate creating a fertile condition for epidemic spread of infection within the refugee camps. METHODS: Forty-eight Syrian migrants, upon their arrival in Italy, were accommodated at the asylum seekers centre of Castelnuovo di Porto. They received a physical examination and were subjected to microbiological surveillance by blood, rectal, pharyngeal and nasal swabs collection and delivering to the Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory of the University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome. RESULTS: All refugees resulted negative for HBV, HCV and HIV infections. In swabs a large number of unusual gram-negative bacteria species were isolated, such as Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas monteilii, Pseudomonas fulva, Pseudomonas moselii, Aeromonas veronii, Aeromonas caviae, Aeromonas hydrophila, Acinteobacter guilloviae, Acinteobacter lowffii; Acinetobacter johnsonii; Acinteobacter tjernbergae; Pantoea agglomerans; Pantoea calida. Among isolates, strains resistant to carbapenems, ESBL producers and methicillin resistant were found. CONCLUSIONS: The microbiological surveillance performed represents a useful action to understand refugees health status and to trace unusual microorganisms movement even carriers of antimicrobial resistance during migrants traveling.
BACKGROUND: Three years of civil war in Syria have caused death and increase of communicable diseases. The suffering population has been forced to migrate creating a fertile condition for epidemic spread of infection within the refugee camps. METHODS: Forty-eight Syrian migrants, upon their arrival in Italy, were accommodated at the asylum seekers centre of Castelnuovo di Porto. They received a physical examination and were subjected to microbiological surveillance by blood, rectal, pharyngeal and nasal swabs collection and delivering to the Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory of the University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome. RESULTS: All refugees resulted negative for HBV, HCV and HIV infections. In swabs a large number of unusual gram-negative bacteria species were isolated, such as Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas monteilii, Pseudomonas fulva, Pseudomonas moselii, Aeromonas veronii, Aeromonas caviae, Aeromonas hydrophila, Acinteobacter guilloviae, Acinteobacter lowffii; Acinetobacter johnsonii; Acinteobacter tjernbergae; Pantoea agglomerans; Pantoea calida. Among isolates, strains resistant to carbapenems, ESBL producers and methicillin resistant were found. CONCLUSIONS: The microbiological surveillance performed represents a useful action to understand refugees health status and to trace unusual microorganisms movement even carriers of antimicrobial resistance during migrants traveling.
Authors: Louise B Sloth; Rikke T Nielsen; Christian Østergaard; Laura B Nellums; Sally Hargreaves; Jon S Friedland; Marie Norredam Journal: J Travel Med Date: 2019-12-23 Impact factor: 8.490
Authors: Laura B Nellums; Hayley Thompson; Alison Holmes; Enrique Castro-Sánchez; Jonathan A Otter; Marie Norredam; Jon S Friedland; Sally Hargreaves Journal: Lancet Infect Dis Date: 2018-05-17 Impact factor: 71.421