American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 97, Issue 6, 2017, Pages 1669-1672

Diagnosis of louse-borne relapsing fever despite negative microscopy in two asylum seekers from Eastern Africa (Article) (Open Access)

Antinori S.* , Tonello C. , Edouard S. , Parravicini C. , Gastaldi D. , Grande R. , Milazzo L. , Ricaboni D. , Fenollar F. , Raoult D. , Corbellino M. , Mediannikov O.
  • a Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Luigi Sacco, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via GB Grassi, 74, Milano, 20157, Italy, III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milano, Italy
  • b Pathology Unit, Ospedale L. Sacco, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milano, Italy
  • c Unitéde Recherche sur le Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Émergentes IRD198, Institute Hospitalo-Universitarie (IHU) Méditerranée-Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
  • d Pathology Unit, Ospedale L. Sacco, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milano, Italy
  • e Centro Accoglienza Immigrati, Milano, Italy
  • f Clinical Microbiology, Virology and Bioemergence Diagnostics, Ospedale L Sacco, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milano, Italy
  • g III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milano, Italy
  • h III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milano, Italy, Unitéde Recherche sur le Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Émergentes IRD198, Institute Hospitalo-Universitarie (IHU) Méditerranée-Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
  • i Unitéde Recherche sur le Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Émergentes IRD198, Institute Hospitalo-Universitarie (IHU) Méditerranée-Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
  • j Unitéde Recherche sur le Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Émergentes IRD198, Institute Hospitalo-Universitarie (IHU) Méditerranée-Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
  • k III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milano, Italy
  • l Unitéde Recherche sur le Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Émergentes IRD198, Institute Hospitalo-Universitarie (IHU) Méditerranée-Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France

Abstract

We report two cases of louse-borne relapsing fever observed at our Institution in June 2016. Both patients were young asylum seekers from Africa who had recently arrived in Milan, Italy. Notably, direct microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears was repeatedly negative for the presence of spirochetes and the diagnosis, supported by clinical and epidemiologic evidence, required molecular confirmation by polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNA extracted from blood and sequencing of the amplified products. © 2017 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

refugee vomiting abdominal pain human Borrelia recurrentis Refugees arthralgia Relapsing Fever Sudan bacterial DNA Borrelia Sudanese louse borne relapsing fever blood smear hypertension acute kidney failure nonhuman doxycycline disease duration leukocytosis asylum seeker DNA, Bacterial Humans anemia headache male case report Africa hematuria clinical article neutrophilia polymerase chain reaction Borrelia infection isolation and purification tachycardia Article adult antibiotic therapy microscopy Somalia microbiology Italy antiinfective agent Anti-Bacterial Agents Physical Examination epistaxis thrombocytopenia
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85037043920&doi=10.4269%2fajtmh.17-0320&partnerID=40&md5=0a6baad1ad083e08da90dbe4dda6f55e
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.17-0320
ISSN: 00029637
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English