BACKGROUND:Rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended to individuals at risk for exposure to rabies. Three intramuscular doses of the purified chick embryo cell (PCEC) rabies vaccine can be administered according to a conventional (four-week) or an accelerated (one-week) regimen. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:This phase III, open-label study (NCT02545517) was an extension of the NCT01662440 study where immune responses of different primary PrEP regimens with PCEC rabies vaccine and Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine were assessed. Adults who had completed the parent study and received three doses of rabies PrEP regimens, concomitantly with a JE vaccine or alone (i.e., Rabies+JE-Accelerated, Rabies+JE-Conventional, and Rabies-Conventional groups) were enrolled in this extension study. Here we evaluated the long-term (up to 10 years after completing the primary vaccination) immunogenicity and boostability of PCEC rabies vaccine, and the safety of booster dose(s). Immunogenicity was assessed in terms of rabies virus neutralizing antibody (RVNA) concentrations, and titers ≥0.5 international units (IU)/mL were considered adequate for protection. Participants with RVNA concentrations <0.5 IU/mL were eligible for receiving PCEC rabies vaccine booster(s). Of the 459 participants enrolled in this study, 77.6% completed the trial. At the study end, the probability of detecting adequate RVNA concentrations in unboosted participants was 57.8%, 60.2%, and 62.0% for the Rabies+JE-Accelerated, Rabies+JE-Conventional, and Rabies-Conventional groups, respectively. Overall, 68.6% of all participants had RVNA concentrations ≥0.5 IU/mL at any timepoint and did not require a booster dose during the study follow-up period. Of the 144 participants with RVNA concentrations <0.5 IU/mL at any timepoint, 132 needed one booster dose throughout the follow-up period (Years 3-10) and 12 needed multiple booster administrations. No safety concerns were identified. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE:The PCEC rabies vaccine administered alone/concomitantly with the JE vaccine provides adequate immunity for up to 62% of unboosted participants at study end.

The potential of schistosomiasis to spread across borders, coupled with the considerable delay by which infected travellers and migrants are diagnosed in Europe, calls for better surveillance of the distribution of this disease. This study explored the geographical origin and genetic profiles of Schistosoma infections imported into Europe and diagnosed in a network of 11 European centres specialized in traveller and migrant health. Genetic profiles were obtained from DNA extracted from concentrated Schistosoma eggs or Schistosoma-positive samples (faeces, urine, biopsy) collected during routine diagnostic procedures. The species-specific cytochrome oxidase sub-unit 1 (cox1) diagnostic region and the standard complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 + ITS2 (ITS1 + 2) ribosomal DNA region were amplified and sequenced, together with a partial region of 18S ribosomal DNA in selected cases. Prevalences of the different genetic profiles within the whole patient cohort and by country/geographical area of possible infection were analysed. A phylogenetic analysis was performed using the larger cox1 ( 956 base pairs) sequences dataset. A total of 94 samples were available for analysis, 36 from patients with a diagnosis of intestinal schistosomiasis and 58 with urinary schistosomiasis, all acquired in a sub-Saharan African country. Mitochondrial (mt) cox1, nuclear ITS1 + 2 and/or 18S (mt/nuclear) genotypes were successfully obtained from 51/94 (54

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have become important public health threats that require multi-faceted control interventions. As late treatment and management of NTDs contribute significantly to the associated burdens, early diagnosis becomes an important component for surveillance and planning effective interventions. This review identifies common NTDs and highlights the progress in the development of diagnostics for these NTDs. Leveraging existing technologies to improve NTD diagnosis and improving current operational approaches for deployment of developed diagnostics are crucial to achieving the 2030 NTD elimination target. Point-of-care NTD (POC-NTD) diagnostic tools are recommended preferred diagnostic options in resource-constrained areas for mapping risk zones and monitoring treatment efficacy. However, few are currently available commercially. Technical training of remote health care workers on the use of POC-NTD diagnostics, and training of health workers on the psychosocial consequences of these diagnostics are critical in harnessing POC-NTD diagnostic potential. While the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the possibility of achieving NTD elimination in 2030 due to the disruption of healthcare services and dwindling financial support for NTDs, the possible contribution of NTDs in exacerbating COVID-19 pandemic should motivate NTD health system strengthening.

Next-generation COVID-19 vaccines are being developed to expand the breadth of coverage against existing and future variants and to extend the duration of protection. Prime-2-CoV_Beta is an orf virus (ORFV) based multi-antigen COVID-19 vaccine that co-expresses Spike (S) and Nucleocapsid (N) antigens. The safety and immunogenicity of Prime-2-CoV_Beta is investigated in a phase 1 first-in-human (FIH) dose-finding trial (ORFEUS study, ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05367843). Participants of two age groups (18-55 and 65-85 years) who previously completed at least two doses of mRNA vaccines were enrolled and sequentially assigned to different dose groups to receive one intramuscular dose of 3 x 105, 3 x 106, 1.5 x 107, or 3 x 107 plaque-forming units (PFU) of Prime-2-CoV_Beta on day 1 and a second dose on day 29. Here, we report safety and immunogenicity data collected up to 6 months after the first study vaccination. Prime-2-CoV_Beta is safe and well tolerated and elicits immune responses at higher dose levels in participants aged 18-55. A single dose of 3 x 107 PFU boosted binding and cross-neutralizing antibody responses that are maintained through 6 months after the first booster vaccination. Polyfunctional S-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses are observed after vaccination. No pre-existing or vaccine-induced neutralizing anti-vector antibodies are detected. Our findings highlight the potential of the ORFV vector as a safe platform for future vaccine design, which provides the ability to deliver multiple antigens and allows for repeat immunization.

Background: Earlier studies found characteristic haematological changes in African patients with active schisto-somiasis. If consistently present, full blood counts (FBC) may be helpful to diagnose schistosomiasis also in mi-grants and returning travellers.Methods: A retrospective patient record review was conducted on data from seven European travel clinics, comparing FBC of Schistosoma egg-positive travellers and migrants to reference values. Sub-analyses were per-formed for children, returned travellers, migrants and different Schistosoma species.Results: Data analysis included 382 subjects (median age 21.0 years [range 2-73]). In returned travellers, de-creases in means of haemoglobin particularly in females (ll =-0.82 g/dL, p = 0.005), MCV (ll =-1.6 fL, p = 0.009), basophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes (ll =-0.07, p < 0.001;-0.57, p = 0.012;-0.57, p < 0.001 and-0.13 103/& mu;L, p < 0.001, respectively) were observed. As expected, eosinophils were increased (ll = +0.45 103/& mu;L, p < 0.001). In migrants, a similar FBC profile was observed, yet thrombocytes and leukocytes were significantly lower in migrants (ll =-48 103/& mu;Lp < 0.001 and ll =-2.35 103/& mu;L, p < 0.001, respectively).Conclusions: Active egg-producing Schistosoma infections are associated with haematological alterations in returned travellers and migrants. However, these differences are discrete and seem to vary among disease stage and Schistosoma species. Therefore, the FBC is unsuitable as a surrogate diagnostic parameter to detect schistosomiasis.

BACKGROUND Travel to regions with rabies risk has increased. However, data on adequate rabies post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) abroad is scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the appropriateness of medical management following suspected rabies exposure (SRE) in international travellers. METHOD A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in returning travellers with reported SRE who sought post-exposure medical care was conducted in two large German travel clinics. RESULTS The 75 included SRE cases had a median age of 34 years (range 26-43) and showed a female predominance (59%, 44/75). Most participants returned from Asia (47%, 34/72). About 28% had received pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, ≥2 vaccine doses) (20/71). In 51% the animal was actively approached (34/67). All patients had category II/III exposure according to the World Health Organization (65% category III, 49/75). With 78% (52/67), most patients cleaned the wound after SRE; 36% (24/67) used water and soap. Only 57% (41/72) of participants sought medical care during their trip. Overall, 45% (33/74) received rabies vaccination abroad which corresponds to 80% out of those who sought healthcare (33/41). CONCLUSIONS Awareness for appropriate first aid and the urgency of seeking timely professional treatment including PEP after an SRE seems to be insufficient in German travellers. Travel practitioners need to educate travellers about rabies risk, prevention measures and the correct behaviour after SRE including adequate wound treatment and seeking immediate medical help for PEP. PrEP should be offered generously especially to travellers with high rabies-exposure risk and those visiting areas with limited healthcare access.

Background Additional safe and efficacious vaccines are needed to control the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to analyse the efficacy and safety of the CVnCoV SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine candidate. Methods HERALD is a randomised, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase 2b/3 clinical trial conducted in 47 centres in ten countries in Europe and Latin America. By use of an interactive web response system and stratification by country and age group (18-60 years and >= 61 years), adults with no history of virologically confirmed COVID-19 were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive intramuscularly either two 0.6 mL doses of CVnCoV containing 12 mu g of mRNA or two 0.6 mL doses of 0.9% NaCl (placebo) on days 1 and 29. The primary efficacy endpoint was the occurrence of a first episode of virologically confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 of any severity and caused by any strain from 15 days after the second dose. For the primary endpoint, the trial was considered successful if the lower limit of the CI was greater than 30%. Key secondary endpoints were the occurrence of a first episode of virologically confirmed moderate-to-severe COVID-19, severe COVID-19, and COVID-19 of any severity by age group. Primary safety outcomes were solicited local and systemic adverse events within 7 days after each dose and unsolicited adverse events within 28 days after each dose in phase 2b participants, and serious adverse events and adverse events of special interest up to 1 year after the second dose in phase 2b and phase 3 participants. Here, we report data up to June 18, 2021. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04652102, and EudraCT, 2020-003998-22, and is ongoing. Findings Between Dec 11, 2020, and April 12, 2021, 39 680 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either CVnCoV (n=19 846) or placebo (n=19 834), of whom 19 783 received at least one dose of CVnCoV and 19 746 received at least one dose of placebo. After a mean observation period of 48.2 days (SE 0.2), 83 cases of COVID-19 occurred in the CVnCoV group (n=12 851) in 1735.29 person-years and 145 cases occurred in the placebo group (n=12 211) in 1569.87 person-years, resulting in an overall vaccine efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 of 48.2% (95.826% CI 31.0-61.4; p=0.016). Vaccine efficacy against moderate-to-severe COVID-19 was 70.7% (95% CI 42.5-86.1; CVnCoV 12 cases in 1735.29 person-years, placebo 37 cases in 1569.87 person-years). In participants aged 18-60 years, vaccine efficacy against symptomatic disease was 52.5% (95% CI 36.2-64.8; CVnCoV 71 cases in 1591.47 person-years, placebo, 136 cases in 1449.23 person-years). Too few cases occurred in participants aged 61 years or older (CVnCoV 12, placebo nine) to allow meaningful assessment of vaccine efficacy. Solicited adverse events, which were mostly systemic, were more common in CVnCoV recipients (1933 [96.5%] of 2003) than in placebo recipients (1344 [67.9%] of 1978), with 542 (27.1%) CVnCoV recipients and 61 (3.1%) placebo recipients reporting grade 3 solicited adverse events. The most frequently reported local reaction after any dose in the CVnCoV group was injection-site pain (1678 [83.6%] of 2007), with 22 grade 3 reactions, and the most frequently reported systematic reactions were fatigue (1603 [80.0%] of 2003) and headache (1541 [76.9%] of 2003). 82 (0.4%) of 19 783 CVnCoV recipients reported 100 serious adverse events and 66 (0.3%) of 19 746 placebo recipients reported 76 serious adverse events. Eight serious adverse events in five CVnCoV recipients and two serious adverse events in two placebo recipients were considered vaccination-related. None of the fatal serious adverse events reported (eight in the CVnCoV group and six in the placebo group) were considered to be related to study vaccination. Adverse events of special interest were reported for 38 (0.2%) participants in the CVnCoV group and 31 (0.2%) participants in the placebo group. These events were considered to be related to the trial vaccine for 14 (<0.1%) participants in the CVnCoV group and for five (<0.1%) participants in the placebo group. Interpretation CVnCoV was efficacious in the prevention of COVID-19 of any severity and had an acceptable safety profile. Taking into account the changing environment, including the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, and timelines for further development, the decision has been made to cease activities on the CVnCoV candidate and to focus efforts on the development of next-generation vaccine candidates. Copyright (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background. Giardiasis failing nitroimidazole first-line treatment is an emerging problem in returning European travelers. We present data on the efficacy and tolerability of 2 second-line treatment regimens. Methods. This prospective, open-label, multicenter study assessed the efficacy and tolerability of quinacrine monotherapy (100 mg 3 times per day for 5 days) and albendazole plus chloroquine combination therapy (400 mg twice daily plus 155 mg twice daily for 5 days) in nitroimidazole-refractory giardiasis. The defined end points were the clinical outcome, assessed at week 5 after treatment and the parasitological outcome, assessed using microscopy of 2 stool samples, >= 2 to <= 5 weeks after treatment. Results. A total of 106 patients were included in the study. Quinacrine achieved clinical and parasitological cure in 81% (59/73) and 100% (56/56), respectively. Albendazole plus chloroquine achieved clinical and parasitological cure in 36% (12/33) and 48% (12/25), respectively. All patients (9/9) who clinically and parasitologically failed albendazole plus chloroquine treatment and opted for retreatment with quinacrine achieved clinical cure. Mild to moderate treatment-related adverse events were reported by 45% and 30% of patients treated with quinacrine and albendazole plus chloroquine, respectively. One patient treated with quinacrine developed severe neuropsychiatric side effects. The majority of nitroimidazole-refractory Giardia infections (57%) were acquired in India. Conclusions. Quinacrine was a highly effective treatment in nitroimidazole-refractory giardiasis, but patients should be cautioned on the low risk of severe neuropsychiatric adverse event. Albendazole plus chloroquine had a low cure rate in nitroimidazole-refractory giardiasis. Nitroimidazole-refractory giardiasis was primarily seen in travelers returning from India.

Urogenital schistosomiasis was diagnosed in a man from Germany who had never traveled outside Europe. He likely acquired the infection in Corsica, France, but did not swim in the Cavu River, which was linked to a previous outbreak. This case highlights that transmission of schistosomiasis in Corsica is ongoing.

2019-nCoV Transmission from Asymptomatic Patient In this report, investigators in Germany detected the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from a person who had recently traveled from China...

BackgroundDisease epidemiology of (re-)emerging infectious diseases is changing rapidly, rendering surveillance of travel-associated illness important.MethodsWe evaluated travel-related illness encountered at EuroTravNet clinics, the European surveillance sub-network of GeoSentinel, between March 1, 1998 and March 31, 2018.Findings103,739 ill travellers were evaluated, including 11,239 (10.8%) migrants, 89,620 (86.4%) patients seen post-travel, and 2,880 (2.8%) during and after travel. Despite increasing numbers of patient encounters over 20 years, the regions of exposure by year of clinic visits have remained stable. In 5-year increments, greater proportions of patients were migrants or visiting friends and relatives (VFR); business travel-associated illness remained stable; tourism-related illness decreased. Falciparum malaria was amongst the most-frequently diagnosed illnesses with 5,254 cases (5.1% of all patients) and the most-frequent cause of death (risk ratio versus all other illnesses 2.5:1). Animal exposures requiring rabies post-exposure prophylaxis increased from 0.7% (1998–2002) to 3.6% (2013–2018). The proportion of patients with seasonal influenza increased from zero in 1998–2002 to 0.9% in 2013–2018. There were 44 cases of viral haemorrhagic fever, most during the past five years. Arboviral infection numbers increased significantly as did the range of presenting arboviral diseases, dengue and chikungunya diagnoses increased by 2.6% and 1%, respectively.InterpretationTravel medicine must adapt to serve the changing profile of travellers, with an increase in migrants and persons visiting relatives and friends and the strong emergence of vector-borne diseases, with potential for further local transmission in Europe.FundingThis project was supported by a cooperative agreement (U50CK00189) between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) and funding from the ISTM and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

2019-nCoV Transmission from Asymptomatic Patient In this report, investigators in Germany detected the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from a person who had recently traveled from China...

There is an urgent need for vaccines to counter the COVID-19 pandemic due to infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Evidence from convalescent sera and preclinical studies has identified the viral Spike (S) protein as a key antigenic target for protective immune responses. We have applied an mRNA-based technology platform, RNActive, to develop CVnCoV which contains sequence optimized mRNA coding for a stabilized form of S protein encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP). Following demonstration of protective immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 in animal models we performed a dose-escalation phase 1 study in healthy 18-60 year-old volunteers. This interim analysis shows that two doses of CVnCoV ranging from 2 g to 12 g per dose, administered 28 days apart were safe. No vaccine-related serious adverse events were reported. There were dose-dependent increases in frequency and severity of solicited systemic adverse events, and to a lesser extent of local reactions, but the majority were mild or moderate and transient in duration. Immune responses when measured as IgG antibodies against S protein or its receptor-binding domain (RBD) by ELISA, and SARS-CoV-2-virus neutralizing antibodies measured by micro-neutralization, displayed dose-dependent increases. Median titers measured in these assays two weeks after the second 12 g dose were comparable to the median titers observed in convalescent sera from COVID-19 patients. Seroconversion (defined as a 4-fold increase over baseline titer) of virus neutralizing antibodies two weeks after the second vaccination occurred in all participants who received 12 g doses. Preliminary results in the subset of subjects who were enrolled with known SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity at baseline show that CVnCoV is also safe and well tolerated in this population, and is able to boost the pre-existing immune response even at low dose levels. Based on these results, the 12 g dose is selected for further clinical investigation, including a phase 2b/3 study that will investigate the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine CVnCoV.

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) may be emerging among international travellers and migrants. Limited data exist on mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) in travellers. We describe the epidemiology of travel-associated CL and MCL among international travellers and immigrants over a 20-year period through descriptive analysis of GeoSentinel data. Methods: Demographic and travel-related data on returned international travellers diagnosed with CL or MCL at a GeoSentinel Surveillance Network site between 1 September 1997 and 31 August 2017 were analysed. Results: A total of 955 returned travellers or migrants were diagnosed with travel-acquired CL (n = 916) or MCL during the study period, of whom 10% (n = 97) were migrants. For the 858 non-migrant travellers, common source countries were Bolivia (n = 156, 18.2%) and Costa Rica (n = 97, 11.3%), while for migrants, they were Syria (n = 34, 35%) and Afghanistan (n = 22, 22.7%). A total of 99 travellers (10%) acquired their disease on trips of <= 2 weeks. Of 274 cases for which species identification was available, Leishmania Viannia braziliensis was the most well-represented strain (n = 117, 42.7%), followed by L. major (n = 40, 14.6%) and L. V. panamensis (n = 38, 13.9%). Forty cases of MCL occurred, most commonly in tourists (n = 29, 72.5%) and from Bolivia (n = 18, 45%). A total of 10% of MCL cases were acquired in the Old World. Conclusions: Among GeoSentinel reporting sites, CL is predominantly a disease of tourists travelling mostly to countries in Central and South America such as Bolivia where risk of acquiring L. V. braziliensis and subsequent MCL is high. The finding that some travellers acquired leishmaniasis on trips of short duration challenges the common notion that CL is a disease of prolonged travel. Migrants from areas of conflict and political instability, such as Afghanistan and Syria, were well represented, suggesting that as mass migration of refugees continues, CL will be increasingly encountered in intake countries.

Schistosomiasis remains one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases worldwide and the infection is frequently found in travelers and migrants. The European Network for Tropical Medicine and Travel Health conducted a sentinel surveillance study on imported schistosomiasis between 1997 and 2010. This report summarizes epidemiological and clinical data from 1,465 cases of imported schistosomiasis. Direct pathogen detection and serology were the main diagnostic tools applied. Of these, 486 (33%) cases were identified among European travelers, 231 (16%) among long-term expatriates, and 748 (51%) among non-European immigrants. Overall, only 18.6% of travelers had received pretravel advice; 95% of infections were acquired in the African region. On species level, Schistosoma mansoni was identified in 570 (39%) and Schistosoma haematobium in 318 (22%) cases; 57.5% of patients were symptomatic. Acute symptoms were reported in 27% of patients leading to earlier presentation within 3 months. Praziquantel was used in all patients to treat schistosomiasis. Many infections were detected in asymptomatic patients. In 47.4% of asymptomatic patients infection was detected by microscopy and in 39% by serology or antigen testing. Schistosomiasis remains a frequent infection in travelers and migrants to Europe. Travelers should be made aware of the risk of schistosomiasis infection when traveling to sub-Saharan Africa. Posttravel consultations particularly for returning expatriates are useful given the high potential for detecting asymptomatic infections.

Malaria remains one of the most serious infections for travellers to tropical countries. Due to the lack of harmonized guidelines a large variety of treatment regimens is used in Europe to treat severe malaria.

Einleitung | Rückfallfieber werden durch Arthropoden übertragen und treten in Deutschland nur selten als importierte Erkrankungen auf, daher werden sie oft als Differenzialdiagnose vergessen. Im Herbst 2015 traten insgesamt 42 Fälle von Läuserückfallfieber bei Asylsuchenden in Deutschland auf. Die Verläufe waren teils schwer, einige Patienten mussten intensivmedizinisch betreut werden, ein Patient verstarb trotz Therapie. Erreger, Erkrankung und Diagnose | Die Erkrankung wird durch schraubenförmige Bakterien (Spirochäten) der Gattung Borrelia hervorgerufen, die hohe Dichten im Patientenblut erreichen können. Weltweit sind unterschiedliche Erregerspezies verbreitet, die genaue Differenzierung der Arten ist komplex. Klinisch stehen rezidivierende Fieberschübe mit schwerem Krankheitsgefühl im Vordergrund. Diagnostisch steht die gezielte Erregersuche mittels Mikroskopie oder PCR jeweils aus EDTA-Blut zur Verfügung. Solche Spezialuntersuchungen sollten bei hinreichendem Verdacht angefordert werden und können im Rahmen der meist notwendigen Malaria Diagnostik erfolgen. Therapie | In erster Linie kommen Tetrazycline oder Penicillin für die Therapie der Rückfallfieber-Borreliosen zum Einsatz, erworbene Resistenzen sind nicht bekannt. Regelhaft tritt kurz nach Therapiebeginn eine Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaktionen auf, die eine stationäre z.T. intensivmedizinische Betreuung erfordert. Eine ambulante Therapie ist daher nicht empfohlen. Besonders bei Migranten mit Fieber sollte die Erkrankung in die differenzialdiagnostischen Überlegungen eingeschlossen werden.

The present controlled cross-sectional study aimed to assess relative and absolute lymphocytosis and lymphopenia induced by imported infectious diseases (IDs) seen among patients consulting the Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical Center of the University of Munich (1999-2014) after being in the tropics and subtropics. The analysis investigated data sets from 17,229 diseased German travelers returning from Latin America (3,238), Africa (5,467), and Asia (8,524), and from 1,774 healthy controls who had not recently traveled. Among the cases, the proportion of those with relative lymphopenia (10.5%) and absolute lymphopenia (8.0%) was significantly higher than among controls (3.2% and 3.6%, respectively), whereas relative lymphocytosis was significantly lower among cases (6.1%) than among controls (8.0%). The study identified IDs with significantly larger proportions of relative lymphocytosis (cytomegalovirus [CMV] infection [56%], infectious mononucleosis [51%], and dengue fever [11%]); absolute lymphocytosis (infectious mononucleosis [70%] and CMV infection [63%]); relative lymphopenia (streptococcal pharyngitis [56%], malaria [34%], Campylobacter infection [19%], salmonellosis [18%], and shigellosis [17%]); and of absolute lymphopenia (human immunodeficiency virus infection [53%], malaria [45%], dengue fever [40%], salmonellosis [16%], and Campylobacter infection [11%]). This study demonstrates that relative and absolute lymphocytosis and lymphopenia are useful laboratory findings for travelers returning from the tropics and subtropics, as they are typically caused by imported viral, bacterial, and protozoan IDs.

The aim of this study was to assess the spectrum of imported infectious diseases (IDs) among patients consulting the University of Munich, Germany, between 1999 and 2014 after being in the sub-/tropics. The analysis investigated complete data sets of 16,817 diseased German travelers (2,318 business travelers, 4,029 all-inclusive travelers, and 10,470 backpackers) returning from Latin America (3,225), Africa (4,865), or Asia (8,727), and 977 diseased immigrants, originating from the same regions (112, 654 and 211 respectively). The most frequent symptoms assessed were diarrhea (38%), fever (29%), and skin disorder (22%). The most frequent IDs detected were intestinal infections with species of Blastocystis(900),Giardia(730),Campylobacter(556),Shigella(209), and Salmonella(183). Also frequently observed were cutaneous larva migrans (379), dengue (257), and malaria (160). The number of IDs with significantly elevated proportions was higher among backpackers (18) and immigrants (17), especially among those from Africa (18) and Asia (17), whereas it was lower for business travelers (5), all-inclusive travelers (1), and those from Latin America (5). This study demonstrates a large spectrum of imported IDs among returning German travelers and immigrants, which varies greatly based not only on travel destination and origin of immigrants, but also on type of travel.

The present controlled cross-sectional study aimed to assess elevated values of C-reactive protein (CRP), a positive acute-phase protein, induced by imported infectious diseases (IDs) seen in patients consulting the University of Munich (1999-2015) after being in the tropics/subtropics. The analysis investigated data sets from 11,079 diseased German travelers (cases) returning from Latin America (1,986), Africa (3,387), and Asia (5,706), and from 714 healthy Germans who had not recently traveled (controls). The proportions of elevated values of CRP (> 0.5 mg/dL) were significantly larger among cases (44.3%) than among controls (20.7%). Among cases, this proportion was largest among males (49.2%) in comparison to females (39.9%), among travelers with short travel duration of 1-14 days (49.6%) in comparison to travelers with a travel duration of > 180 days (30.8%), and with travel destination in Africa (47.0%) in comparison to Asia (44.2%) and Latin America (39.9%), among all-inclusive travelers (47.4%) in comparison to business travelers (46.7%) and backpackers (44.1%), and among patients presenting with fever (70.9%) and arthralgia (54.3%). The study identified various imported IDs with significantly larger proportions of elevated values of CRP including viral (cytomegalovirus infection [94.7%], influenza [88.9%], infectious mononucleosis [71.8%]), bacterial (typhoid fever [100%], paratyphoid fever [92.9%], shigellosis [76.8%], rickettsiosis [74.2%], Salmonella enteritis [71.3%], Campylobacter infection [68.7%]), and protozoan (vivax malaria [100%], ovale malaria [100%], falciparum malaria [95.4%], noninvasive Entamoeba infection [65.9%]) IDs. This study demonstrates that elevated values of CRP can be a useful laboratory finding for travelers returning from the tropics/subtropics, as these findings are typically caused mainly by certain imported bacterial IDs, but also by viral and protozoan IDs.