[Acute febrile disease with splenomegaly and pancytopenia. A 66-year-old Greek patient with a prosthetic mitral valve]

Non-Endemic Leishmaniases Reported Globally in Humans between 2000 and 2021—A Comprehensive Review

Leishmaniases are human and animal parasitic diseases transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies. Globalization is an important driver of the burden and in the current dynamics of these diseases. A systematic review of articles published between 2000 and 2021 was conducted using the PubMed search engine to identify the epidemiology and clinical management of imported human leishmaniases as a fundamental step to better manage individual cases and traveler and migrant health from a global perspective. A total of 275 articles were selected, representing 10,341 human imported cases. Identified drivers of changing patterns in epidemiology include conflict and war, as well as host factors, such as immunosuppression, natural and iatrogenic. Leishmania species diversity associated with different clinical presentations implies diagnostic and treatment strategies often complex to select and apply, especially in non-endemic settings. Thus, diagnostic and management algorithms for medical clinical decision support are proposed. Increased surveillance of non-endemic cases, whether in vulnerable populations such as refugees/migrants and immunocompromised individuals or travelers, could improve individual health and mitigate the public health risk of introducing Leishmania species into new areas.

[Travel medicine]

Travel medicine deals with travellers' diseases. The target group is therefore distinct from tropical medicine. It has gained in significance due to the increase in tourism and professional work abroad in the last 50 years. Dangerous and widespread diseases in tropical countries, in particular tropical malaria, have come into focus in industrialized countries because of their appearance in travellers. Travel medicine deals not only with infectious or transmittable diseases, but also with the ability of patients with chronic diseases to travel, the medical aspects of flying, as well as the health hazards of professional work or high-risk sports abroad. The risk of disease as a result of travelling can be minimized by advice and prophylactic measures, such as vaccinations and drug prophylaxis against malaria, if indicated. On return, medical symptoms should be investigated promptly to ensure early detection of life-threatening disease courses, particularly tropical malaria, as well as to prevent the occurrence of small-scale epidemics. A small number of diseases can also emerge after several years, such as benign types of malaria, amoebic liver abscess and visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar). Aids also belongs to these diseases. Therefore, in this era of HIV pandemic travellers concerned should be made aware of the risks.