Fever of unknown origin in returning travellers

Abstract

The aim of the article is to discuss issues associated with the occurrence of febrile illnesses in leisure and business travellers, with a particular emphasis on fevers of unknown origin (FUO). FUO, apart from diarrhoeas, respiratory tract infections and skin lesions, are one of the most common health problems in travellers to tropical and subtropical countries. FUO are manifestations of various diseases, typically of infectious or invasive aetiology. In one out of 3 cases, the cause of a fever in travellers returning from the hot climate zone is malaria, and therefore diagnostic tests should first aim at ruling out this specific disease entity. Other illnesses with persistent fever include dengue, enteric fever, viral hepatitis A, bacterial diarrhoeas and rickettsioses. Fever may also occur in travellers suffering from diseases of non-tropical origin, e.g. cosmopolitan respiratory tract or urinary tract infections, also, fever may coexist with other illnesses or injuries (skin rashes, bites, burns).

Travel-Related Typhoid Fever: Narrative Review of the Scientific Literature

“…Some of the infectious diseases were systemic (e.g., malaria, dengue, and enteric fever) and about one-third were caused by gastro-intestinal pathogens (e.g., Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp.) [2,3]. Whereas a decreasing trend of incident malaria has been recorded from 2000 to 2015, incidence of enteric and dengue fever has not changed overtime [4].…”

Travel medicine in primary health care

“…red blood cells) and to confirm the presence of vegetative forms (rings, trophozoites, schizonts). Other diseases that are endemic in tropical climates and may manifest with a fever include some viral vector-borne diseases (dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika), typhoid, viral hepatitis A and acute schistosomiasis [11]. Febrile illnesses may be of non-tropical origin as well, e.g.…”

Profile of medical information sought by Polish travelers

“…Fever may also be caused by conditions not associated with a hot climate, including pneumonia or pyelonephritis. Fever may also be associated with some dermatoses or skin injuries (skin rash in the course of a secondary bacterial infection, burns) [21,22]. The majority of diseases manifest within several weeks after returning from a journey.…”