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Case Reports
. 2016 Feb;22(2):298-301.
doi: 10.3201/eid2202.151768.

Louseborne Relapsing Fever among East African Refugees, Italy, 2015

Anna Lucchini, Filippo Lipani, Cecilia Costa, Mariaelisabetta Scarvaglieri, Rosanna Balbiano, Sinibaldo Carosella, Andrea Calcagno, Sabrina Audagnotto, Anna Maria Barbui, Silvia Brossa, Valeria Ghisetti, Ivano Dal Conte, Pietro Caramello, Giovanni Di Perri
Case Reports

Louseborne Relapsing Fever among East African Refugees, Italy, 2015

Anna Lucchini et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

During June 9-September 30, 2015, five cases of louseborne relapsing fever were identified in Turin, Italy. All 5 cases were in young refugees from Somalia, 2 of whom had lived in Italy since 2011. Our report seems to confirm the possibility of local transmission of louse-borne relapsing fever.

Keywords: Borrelia recurrentis; East Africa; Italy; Relapsing fever; bacteria; lice; refugees; vector-borne infections.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Route (arrows) followed by refugees from Somalia to Libya, where they boarded a boat to Sicily. Gray shading indicates Borrelia recurrentis–endemic countries.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Giemsa-stained thin blood smear showing spirochetes (arrows) in a 27-year-old male refugee from Somalia (patient 2) with louseborne relapsing fever, Italy, 2015. Original magnification ×1,000.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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