[Sandfly fever-a "neglected" disease]. / Sandmückenfieber ­ eine "vernachlässigte" Krankheit.

A 45-year-old woman presented at the outpatient department of a center for tropical diseases with fever, diarrhea, headache, myalgia, malaise, and an itchy papular rash. She had been on holiday with her family for 11 days in a mountain village in northern Cyprus. The place was infested with a lot of small, stinging flies or mosquitoes. She and her family became sick after they returned home. The physical examination was normal apart from the rash on the inside of the extremities. Significantly elevated transaminases and a slightly increased C­reactive protein level were found in the blood examination. Considering the country of travel, the report of the "stinging flies" and the clinical presentation, sandfly fever was also taken into account as a differential diagnosis for the hepatitis. Antibodies to the sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) were detected. They showed the typical dynamics during the course of the illness and thus "pappataci fever" was diagnosed. The case report and a short review of up-to-date literature is meant encourage consideration of phlebovirus infection as a possible differential diagnosis in travelers or refugees suffering from severe febrile hepatitis and rash or aseptic viral meningitis after their stay in the Mediterranean area.

Pulmonary infection with rapidly growing mycobacteria in a singer with achalasia: a case report.

We report the case of a 37-year-old male patient with prolonged pneumonia and achalasia. Culture and molecular genetic typing identified Mycobacterium abscessus as causative agent. Treatment with clarithromycin and minocycline over 8 months gradually resolved the infection. Rapidly growing, non-obligate pathogenic mycobacteria are widespread in the environment. Several cases of pulmonary infections with these mycobacteria in patients with achalasia have been reported, suggesting a causative association. This is the first report of a case with isolation of M. abscessus in this context.

[Chronic lupoid leishmaniasis. A rare differential diagnosis in Germany for erythematous infiltrative facial plaques]. / Chronische lupoide Leishmaniose: In Deutschland eine seltene Differenzialdiagnose erythematös-infiltrativer Plaques im Gesicht.

Lupoid leishmaniasis is a unique form of cutaneous leishmaniasis characterized by unusual clinical features and a chronic relapsing course. Clinically and histologically it is similar to lupus vulgaris, which is thus the most important differential diagnostic consideration. All patients with granulomatous facial lesions coming from endemic areas or with a positive travel history should be suspected of having leishmaniasis. We describe a 59-year-old woman with facial lupoid leishmaniasis.

Myeloradiculitis: a rare event in schistosoma infection.

Schistosomiasis a parasitic disease caused by trematodes is widely distributed in (sub-)tropical countries. Depending on the species the infection manifests clinically as gastrointestinal (preferentially Schistosoma mansoni and S. japonicum) or urinary (preferentially S. haematobium) disorders. Here we present an uncommon case of myeloradiculitis leading to bladder palsy and sensory loss at the lower limbs.

[Kala azar. Rare import and significant differential diagnosis]. / Kala azar. Seltener import und wichtige differenzialdiagnose.

After traveling into regions endemic for leishmaniasis all patients presenting with generalized febrile symptoms, pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly and symptoms as well as laboratory parameters also seen in autoimmune diseases should be screened for leishmaniasis even after a longer time period. Doctors should bear in mind that especially immunosuppressed patients can present with atypical and abortive symptoms and that in this group of patients immune diagnosis is unreliable. A diagnosis of a lymphoma related only to the spleen should not be made and splenectomy must not be carried out before reliable exclusion of kala azar, using modern diagnostic tools like PCR. Patients should be referred to specialized centers e.g. institutes for tropical medicine and therapy must follow actual guidelines, such as the German guidelines published by the AWMF.

[Therapy of tropical diseases after returning from travel]. / Therapie von Tropenkrankheiten bei Reiserückkehrern.

Most tropical diseases imported by travelers can be treated quite effectively. Human endoparasites belong to the protozoa and worms. Protozoa can be seen as microparasites, characterized by short generation periods and high rates of reproduction within a host--consequently the diseases mainly are of short duration. Effective drugs are available for malaria, amebiasis and other intestinal protozoa as well as for leishmaniasis. Resistance, however, sometimes is a problem. Worms are macroparasites that generally do not reproduce within a host--teleologically speaking because otherwise they would rapidly damage their own basis of living. Accordingly, severe worm disease is rarely found in travelers. Levels of anthelminthic resistances so far are low. The most important worm disease in travelers is schistosomiasis, a disease that also can be treated effectively if diagnosed early.

[Familial Mediterranean fever--from gene test to clinical aspects]. / Familiäres Mittelmeerfieber--vom Gentest zur Klinik.

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a genetically defined disease affecting mostly families of jewish, turkish or armenian origin whose ancestors originate from the mediterranean basin. The first officially acknowledged description was given by SIEGAL in 1945 but previous cases were reported since 1908. The main clinical signs which are very varying in intensity and appearance are periodic attacks of fever with peritonitis, pleurisy and arthritis. The classical but not always found complication is amyloidosis with renal failure which is preventable by lifelong colchicine therapy. By using a novel genetest it is now possible to definitely diagnose FMF instead of relying on a diagnosis made merely by exclusion. This will emphasize the use of colchicine and should bring us nearer to the pathophysiology of this interesting disease.