Active intestinal schistosomiasis in travellers returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Although schistosomiasis is a widespread infection in the tropics, travellers are almost exclusively infected in sub-Saharan Africa, through exposure to freshwater infested with cercariae of either Schistosoma mansoni (intestinal schistosomiasis) or Schistosoma haematobium (urinary schistosomiasis) [1]. Primary infection may cause a febrile hypersensitivity reaction occurring three to 12 weeks postexposure, with fever, cough and/or abdominal pain when schistosomules mature to egg-producing adult worms, the so called “Katayama fever”. Hypereosinophilia is its early diagnostic hallmark. Definite diagnosis requires antischistosomal antibody detection, and/or demonstrating schistosomal eggs in stools, urine or rectal mucosa to be found on microscopy.