Spondweni virus infection in a foreign resident of Upper Volta

Abstract

Spondweni virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus previously reported to cause human disease in Southern and West Africa. A serologically confirmed case of Spondweni virus infection in a U.S. citizen residing in Upper Volta is reported. Symptoms included fever, chills, headache, myalgia, nausea, and rash. A greyish mucoid lining was present on the posterior pharynx. The differential diagnosis included rickettsial infection, leptospirosis, typhoid fever, and numerous viral illnesses including Lassa fever. Evidence of Spondweni virus infection was also found in two other U.S. citizens residing in Gabon and Cameroon. Spondweni virus might be a cause of acute febrile illness throughout West Africa, and its presence should be considered in the differential diagnosis of febrile illness and in antibody surveys in that region.