First documented case of imported tick-borne encephalitis in Australia

We report a case of tick-borne encephalitis that has not been described before in Australia. The patient was a returned traveller from Russia who had typical manifestations of this infection. Clinical diagnosis was elusive because of the peculiar biphasic nature of the illness and its rarity in Australia. Laboratory diagnosis was also challenging and required testing at a reference laboratory in the Czech Republic because of the unavailability of specific assays in Australia. This report aims to make physicians from non-endemic regions aware that tick-borne encephalitis can be imported and to familiarise them with its clinical course.