[A Somali refugee with fever and abnormal blood smear]

The increasing migration into Europe may confront clinicians with diseases barely known any more in this part of the world. We present a case of louse-borne relapsing fever in a Somali refugee. Blood smears led to the diagnosis of relapsing fever and DNA sequencing was positive for Borrelia recurrentis. This disease should be considered in all patients with unclear fever and a compatible travel or migration history. Blood smears are employed as the primary diagnostic method. Therapy harbors the danger of a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, a complication that may require intensive medical care.