A review of Chagas disease in Italy and the study's contribution of Italian researchers

Chagas disease is an emerging infection in Italy as the consequence of the huge immigration from Latin American countries observed during the last ten-fifteen years. However, the interest of Italian researchers on Chagas disease dates back to the '80-90s of the last century with studies conducted in collaboration with Brazilian and Argentinian colleagues by Italian cardiologists and pathologists. Moreover, the first demonstration of the existence in the pre-Columbian America of Chagas disease in a Peruvian mummy was made by a group of Italian paleopathologists. Seroprevalence studies performed between 2010-2014 in Negrar (Verona), Bergamo, Milan, Florence and Rome shows T. cruzi infection ranging from 3.9% to 17.1% with people coming from Bolivia as the most affected. As observed in Latin America about 30% of screened subjects in Italy are affected by cardiac or digestive forms of Chagas disease. More than 20% of subjects treated with benznidazole discontinued it permanently due to adverse events.