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Louse‐borne relapsing fever in Finland in two asylum seekers from Somalia
Author(s) -
Hytönen Jukka,
Khawaja Tamim,
Grönroos Juha O.,
Jalava Anna,
Meri Seppo,
Oksi Jarmo
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/apm.12635
Subject(s) - relapsing fever , somali , refugee , malaria , louse , borrelia , medicine , immunology , virology , biology , geography , zoology , borrelia burgdorferi , linguistics , philosophy , archaeology , antibody
We report two cases of louse‐borne relapsing fever ( LBRF ) in young Somali asylum seekers having recently arrived to Finland. They had sought medical attention for a febrile illness. Blood smears were examined for suspected malaria, but instead, spirochete shaped bacteria were observed. The bacteria were confirmed as Borrelia recurrentis by PCR and sequencing. The patients survived, but their treatment was complicated by Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction. We conclude that LBRF must be considered as a diagnostic option in febrile refugees also in the northernmost parts of Europe.