[African sleeping sickness in The Netherlands]

Abstract

Of the four most dangerous protozoal infections acquired in (sub)tropical regions, falciparum malaria, amoebic abscess of the liver, visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) only the fourth was up to now unreported in the Dutch medical literature. Two case histories are presented: a Cameroonian woman, resident in the Netherlands for two years, suffering from West African type sleeping sickness, and a Dutch tourist who acquired East African trypanosomiasis while travelling through Zimbabwe. Although the parasites are morphologically identical, clinical and epidemiological characteristics are distinctly different. The West African type, rarely if ever observed in Europeans, has an insidious chronic course leading to the features of classical sleeping sickness. Differential diagnosis is difficult. The East African variety runs an acute course in Europeans leading to death within days due to myocarditis. It is therefore mandatory for the diagnosis to be made as soon as possible in order to initiate specific therapy. Both patients recovered after specific therapy.