1887
Rapid communication Open Access
Like 0

Abstract

We report 15 imported louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) cases in refugees in Bavaria, Germany. One patient died. Epidemiological findings confirmed that all were young males from the Horn of Africa (12 from Somalia), who had similar migration routes converging in Sudan continuing through Libya and Italy. The majority likely acquired their infection during migration. Healthcare workers should be aware of LBRF in refugees passing through north Africa to ensure correct treatment and preventive measures.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2015.20.42.30046
2015-10-22
2024-11-21
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2015.20.42.30046
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/20/42/eurosurv-20-30046-2.html?itemId=/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2015.20.42.30046&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Safdie G, Farrah IY, Yahia R, Marva E, Wilamowski A, Sawalha SS, et al. Molecular characterization of Borrelia persica, the agent of tick borne relapsing fever in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. PLoS ONE. 2010;5(11):e14105.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014105  PMID: 21124792 
  2. Venczel R, Knoke L, Pavlovic M, Dzaferovic E, Vaculova T, Silaghi C, et al. A novel duplex real-time PCR permits simultaneous detection and differentiation of Borrelia miyamotoi and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Infection. 2015;14:14. PMID: 26168860 
  3. Radulović Ž, Milutinović M, Tomanović S, Mulenga A. Detection of Borrelia-specific 16S rRNA sequence in total RNA extracted from Ixodes ricinus ticks. Arq Bras Med Vet Zootec.2010;62(4):862-7.
  4. Margos G, Stockmeier S, Hizo-Teufel C, Hepner S, Fish D, Dautel H, et al. Long-term in vitro cultivation of Borrelia miyamotoi. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2015;6(2):181-4.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2014.12.001  PMID: 25561082 
  5. Raoult D, Roux V. The body louse as a vector of reemerging human diseases. Clin Infect Dis. 1999;29(4):888-911.  https://doi.org/10.1086/520454  PMID: 10589908 
  6. Cutler SJ. Possibilities for relapsing fever reemergence. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12(3):369-74.  https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1203.050899  PMID: 16704771 
  7. Cutler SJ, Abdissa A, Trape JF. New concepts for the old challenge of African relapsing fever borreliosis. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2009;15(5):400-6.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2009.02819.x  PMID: 19489922 
  8. Porcella SF, Raffel SJ, Schrumpf ME, Schriefer ME, Dennis DT, Schwan TG. Serodiagnosis of Louse-Borne relapsing fever with glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (GlpQ) from Borrelia recurrentis. J Clin Microbiol. 2000;38(10):3561-71. PMID: 11015364 
  9. de Jong J, Wilkinson RJ, Schaeffers P, Sondorp HE, Davidson RN. Louse-borne relapsing fever in southern Sudan. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1995;89(6):621.  https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(95)90414-X  PMID: 8594674 
  10. Raoult D, Birtles RJ, Montoya M, Perez E, Tissot-Dupont H, Roux V, et al. Survey of three bacterial louse-associated diseases among rural Andean communities in Peru: prevalence of epidemic typhus, trench fever, and relapsing fever. Clin Infect Dis. 1999;29(2):434-6.  https://doi.org/10.1086/520229  PMID: 10476755 
  11. Yimer M, Mulu W, Ayalew W, Abera B. Louse-borne relapsing fever profile at Felegehiwot referral hospital, Bahir Dar city, Ethiopia: a retrospective study. BMC Res Notes. 2014;7(250):250.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-7-250  PMID: 24742342 
  12. Cutler SJ. Relapsing fever--a forgotten disease revealed. J Appl Microbiol. 2010;108(4):1115-22.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04598.x  PMID: 19886891 
  13. Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Rueckfallfieber - selten, aber ernst zu nehmen [Relapsing fever – rare, but to be taken seriously]. Berlin: RKI. 6 Oct 2015. Epidemiologisches Bulletin 44/2000. German. Available from: http://edoc.rki.de/documents/rki_fv/re4mThxdAoes/PDF/22dqy6pQ75wg.pdf.
  14. Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Infektionsepidemiologisches Jahrbuch meldepflichtiger Krankheiten fuer 2001 [Yearbook of notifiable infectious diseases in Germany, 2001]. Berlin: RKI. 9 Oct 2015. German. Available from: http://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/Jahrbuch/Jahrbuch_2001.pdf?__blob=publicationFile.
  15. Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Infektionsepidemiologisches Jahrbuch meldepflichtiger Krankheiten fuer 2014. [Yearbook of notifiable infectious diseases in Germany, 2014] Berlin: RKI. 9 Oct 2015. Available from: http://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/Jahrbuch/Jahrbuch_2014.pdf?__blob=publicationFile.
  16. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Sharp increase in number of Eritrean refugees and asylum-seekers in Europe, Ethiopia and Sudan. Geneva: UNHCR. 31 Aug 2015. Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/5465fea1381.html.
  17. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Louse-borne relapsing fever in the Netherlands. Stockholm: ECDC. 6 Oct 2015. Available from: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/louse-borne-relapsing-fever-netherlands-rapid-risk-assessment.pdf.
  18. Asylsozialpolitik StMAS. Daten und Fakten. [Social policy with respect to asylum issues. Numbers and facts. Bavarian State Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Family Affairs and Integration] Munich: Bayerisches Staatsministerium fuer Arbeit und Soziales (StMAS); 2015 [06/10/2015]; Available from: http://www.zukunftsministerium.bayern.de/migration/asyl/index.php.
  19. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). UNHCR Population Statistics Database. Geneva: UNHCR. 6 Oct 2015. Available from: http://popstats.unhcr.org/en/overview#_ga=1.191407852.716888311.1444119362.
  20. Wilting KR, Stienstra Y, Sinha B, Braks M, Cornish D, Grundmann H. Louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis) in asylum seekers from Eritrea, the Netherlands, July 2015. Euro Surveill. 2015;20(30):21196.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2015.20.30.21196  PMID: 26250069 
  21. Goldenberger D, Claas GJ, Bloch-Infanger C, Breidthardt T, Suter B, Martinez M, et al. Louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis) in an Eritrean refugee arriving in Switzerland, August 2015. Euro Surveill. 2015;20(32):21204.  https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2015.20.32.21204  PMID: 26290486 
  22. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Louse-borne relapsing fever; Factsheet for health professionals. Stockholm: ECDC; 6 Oct 2015. Available from: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/emerging_and_ vector-borne_diseases/vector-borne_diseases/louse-bornerelapsing-fever/Pages/Factsheet-for-health-professionals.aspx.
  23. Interactive map of migration. 2014 MTM Map on Mixed Migration Routes in the MTM Region [Internet]. 2014. [31/08/2015]; Available from: http://www.imap-migration.org/index.php?id=470
  24. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Body lice - Frequently asked questions. Atlanta: CDC; 2013. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/body/gen_info/faqs.html.
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2015.20.42.30046
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error