[Chronic diarrhea since returning from Black Africa. "Think of tropical sprue"!]

Tropical sprue is a diagnosis about which we have to think when we are confronted to a patient back from overseas. We examined a young man back from Central African Republic where he got diarrhoea which keeps going on in France, with alteration of his general condition and stigmata of malabsorption. Taking advantage of such observation, the authors report on the present knowledge about that disease peculiar to tropical zone. Biological elements of malabsorption are associated to partial emaciation of villi of small intestine. As a matter of fact, diagnosis is made by elimination. Its pathogenesis remains unknown and is linked to some troubles of intestinal microbism of which exact causes has not been yet put into evidence. An easy treatment by tetracycline and folic acid is a true diagnosis test, as general condition is set up again, as well as villi intestinalis.