Of 788 recent African adult immigrants to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 213 (27.0%) had eosinophilia. The most frequent causes were filariasis (29.4%), schistosomiasis (17.2%), and hookworm infection (16.8%). Stool microscopy and filarial and schistosomal serologic tests gave the highest diagnostic yield. Country of origin and eosinophil count were associated with specific diagnoses.

We report the first cases of human infection by Rickettsia felis in the Canary Islands. Antibodies against R. felis were found in 5 adsorbed serum samples from 44 patients with clinically suspected rickettsiosis by Western blot serology. Fleas from 1 patient's dog were positive for R. felis by polymerase chain reaction.

The human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) has recently been associated with the genesis of some subacute neurological syndromes and, rarely, with atypical T-lymphoid malignancies. The virus is endemic in some Amerindian and African tribes, and among intravenous drug users (IDUs) in North America and Europe. Given that HTLV-II is transmitted by the same routes as other human retroviruses, the screening of antibodies to HTLV-II in blood donors has became a matter of controversy in some countries. Herein, we describe the clinical, epidemiological and virological features of 113 individuals with HTLV-II infection identified in Spain up to September 1995. Most of them (94/113; 83%) were male, and all but seven were natives. Four were African immigrants living in Madrid and 3 had been born in other European countries. All but six subjects were IDUs, and sexual transmission of HTLV-II and transfusion were involved in five and one individual, respectively. Eighty-four percent of the IDUs infected with HTLV-II were co-infected by HIV-I (93/107). Clinical manifestations potentially linked to HTLV-II were absent, although an IDU male co-infected by HIV-1 and HTLV-II developed a severe non-inflammatory proximal myopathy. In conclusion, HTLV-II infection is present in Spain, mainly among IDUs, with a growing incidence and a current overall prevalence of 2.0 percent.

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