A ten-year epidemiological study conducted at Barcelona’s International Health Unit has confirmed 127 toxocariasis cases among international travelers and immigrants, providing the most comprehensive data on imported infection patterns in Spain to date. The geographic distribution reveals that Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America together account for 77% of all imported infections, with Sub-Saharan Africa alone representing 45% of cases and Latin America contributing 32%.
These findings align with WHO estimates indicating that soil-transmitted helminth infections affect over 1.5 billion people globally. The Barcelona data suggests significant underdiagnosis, as many patients present with non-specific clinical manifestations that complicate identification in international health settings. The research team emphasizes that laboratory confirmation remains essential for accurate diagnosis, particularly given the varied clinical presentations observed across different patient populations in the study cohort.
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