We present case histories of four patients treated with artemether-lumefantrine for falciparum malaria in UK hospitals in 2015 to 2016. Each subsequently presented with recurrent symptoms and Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia within 6 weeks of treatment with no intervening travel to countries where malaria is endemic. Parasite isolates, all of African origin, harbored variants at some candidate resistance loci. No evidence of pfk13-mediated artemisinin resistance was found. Vigilance for signs of unsatisfactory antimalarial efficacy among imported cases of malaria is recommended.

Our current knowledge of the clinical characteristics of enteric fever is drawn mainly from population-based studies in disease-endemic countries, and there are limited data published on cases in returning travelers. We report the clinical characteristics of enteric fever in 92 travelers returning to London, United Kingdom. Salmonella typhi and S. paratyphi resulted in an almost indistinguishable clinical picture. Rose spots and relative bradycardia were found only in a few patients. A total of 91% of the patients had a normal leukocyte count, which was associated with a markedly increased level of alanine aminotransferase in 82%. A total of 57% of the S. typhi isolates had decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and resistance to nalidixic acid; these isolates were from southern Asia. Thirty percent were multidrug resistant; all were from southern Asia and Nigeria. None of the paratyphoid isolates were multidrug resistant but rates of decreased susceptibility to fluoroquinolones were higher than in S. typhi (74%).

SummaryWe report a retrospective and descriptive study of four immunocompromised patients (three with HIV-1 and one with idiopathic CD4+-lymphopenia) with relapsing visceral leishmaniasis seen at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, in whom pentamidine was used as secondary prophylaxis to prevent relapse. Patients experienced between one and four relapses before commencing prophylaxis with subsequent relapse-free periods ranging from 5 to 98 months. Based on these observational data, we recommend large trials to investigate the efficacy of pentamidine over other agents in preventing relapse of VL in the immunocompromised patient.

Old World species of typically cause visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis. Mucosal involvement is typically seen with infection by species found in South America, usually after the healing of cutaneous leishmaniasis. We present five imported cases of mucosal leishmaniasis caused by Old World Mediterranean exclusively affecting the nasal mucosa or vocal cord. In only one case was there a recollection of a preceding cutaneous lesion compatible with cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Of significance was that four out of five cases were receiving local corticosteroids for chronic lung disorders and four were systemically immunosuppressed. This report highlights the importance of considering mucosal leishmaniasis in the differential diagnosis in those presenting with upper respiratory tract mucosal lesions with a relevant travel history to the Mediterranean and in whom malignancy has been excluded.