PAPPATACI FEVER

Sandfly fever virus is known to cause pappataci fever. The sandfly fev er virus belongs to the Genus Phlebovirus (family: Bunyaviridae) and i s endemically found in areas of South Europe, Asia and Africa. In Germ any, pappataci fever is only described in connection with travelling t o endemic areas. We report on a 15 year-old girl suffering from sandfl y fever virus infection after vacation in Turkey. The initial symptoms started with fever for about three days, frontal headache: nausea and arthralgia. After a short time of clinical improvement symptoms recur red and our patient entered hospital with signs of severe meningitis. Liquor analysis showed a lymphocytic meningitis. Due to multiple insec t bites on her legs sandfly fever was suspected. Blood analysis confir med an acute infection with sandfly virus Sicilian from which she comp letely recovered. ELISA and immunoblot analysis revealed an infection with sandfly virus serotype Sicilian, which was not encountered with m eningitis so far. Our case report illustrates that due to increased to urism sandfly fever virus infection has to be considered as a cause of aseptic meningitis in travellers.