ABSTRACT
The 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games will attract large groups of visitors to Brazil. These visitors will be at risk for different arboviral infections, some of which not well known outside endemic areas. We report a case of a 52-year-old Dutch woman who presented with persistent arthralgia due to a Mayaro virus (MAYV) infection which she contracted in the Amazon basin in Brazil. MAYV is a mosquito-borne alphavirus which primarily circulates in humid tropical forests of South America. Infections are rarely reported in travelers and are characterized by an acute febrile illness which is often followed by a prolonged and sometimes incapacitating polyarthralgia. Both travelers and physicians should be aware of the risk of these arboviral infections and the importance of mosquito bite prevention should be stressed.
Subject(s)
Alphavirus Infections/complications , Alphavirus , Arthralgia/etiology , Travel , Alphavirus/classification , Alphavirus/genetics , Alphavirus Infections/diagnosis , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use , Arthralgia/diagnosis , Arthralgia/drug therapy , Brazil , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Molecular Typing , Serotyping , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
A previously healthy 44-year-old male traveller presented with a dry cough, fever and an abnormal chest X-ray after a stay in Guatemala, where he had explored bat caves. Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis was diagnosed after culture of Histoplasma capsulatum from bronchial washings. A favourable response was seen upon treatment with itraconazole for six weeks. Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis should be considered in a healthy traveller returning with fever from the USA or subtropical areas.