Journal of travel medicine
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There can be considerable overlap in the clinical presentation and laboratory features of dengue, malaria, and enteric fever, three important causes of fever in returned travelers. Routine laboratory tests including full blood examination (FBE), liver function tests (LFTs), and C-reactive protein (CRP) are frequently ordered on febrile patients, and may help differentiate between these possible diagnoses. ⋯ There is a wide differential diagnosis for imported fever, but the non-specific findings of a normal CRP with a low WCC and/or low platelet count may provide useful information in addition to clinical clues to suggest dengue over malaria or enteric fever. Further systematic prospective studies among travelers could help define the potential clinical utility of these results in assisting the clinician when deciding for or against commencement of empiric antimicrobial therapy while awaiting confirmatory tests.
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Case Reports
Chronic pulmonary penicilliosis due to Penicillium marneffei: late presentation in a french traveler.
We report a case of pulmonary penicilliosis due to Penicillium marneffei in an immunocompetent French patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, who had traveled in endemic countries several years before. The long interval between exposure and initial symptoms of infection, and relapse despite prolonged voriconazole treatment are unusual features.