Sections View Full Chapter Figures Tables Videos Annotate Full Chapter Figures Tables Videos Supplementary Content + Download Section PDF Listen ++ For further information, see CMDT Part 30-09: Infectious Diseases in the Returning Traveler + Key Features Download Section PDF Listen +++ ++ Most infections are common and self-limited Identify patients with transmissible diseases that require isolation The incubation period may be helpful in diagnosis Less than 3 weeks following exposure may suggest dengue, leptospirosis and yellow fever; > 3 weeks suggests typhoid fever, malaria, and tuberculosis Travel history should include directed questions regarding Geography (rural versus urban, specific country and region visited) Time of year Animal or arthropod contact Unprotected sexual intercourse Ingestion of untreated water or raw foods Historical or pretravel immunizations Adherence to malaria prophylaxis + Clinical Findings & Differential Diagnosis Download Section PDF Listen +++ ++ Fever and rash may indicate Dengue Chikungunya Zika virus Viral hemorrhagic fever Leptospirosis Meningococcemia Yellow fever Typhus Salmonella typhi Acute HIV infection Pulmonary infiltrates may be caused by Tuberculosis Ascaris Paragonimus Strongyloides Meningoencephalitis may be caused by N meningitides Leptospirosis Arboviruses Rabies Cerebral malaria Jaundice may be indicative of Hepatitis A Yellow fever Hemorrhagic fever Leptospirosis Malaria Fever without localizing symptoms or signs may be caused by Malaria Typhoid fever Acute HIV infection Rickettsial illness Visceral leishmaniasis Trypanosomiasis Dengue COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Traveler's diarrhea (see Diarrhea, Traveler's) + Diagnosis Download Section PDF Listen +++ ++ Laboratory tests and imaging studies are based on clinical suspicion and may include Complete blood count with differential, electrolytes, blood cultures, serologic tests Thick/thin smears of peripheral blood Urinalysis Liver biochemical tests Chest radiograph Placement of a PPD (purified protein derivative) Examination of sputum for acid-fast bacilli and possibly for ova and parasites Lumbar puncture Nape biopsy (if rabies is suspected) Bone marrow biopsy Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of plasma or body fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid is used increasingly as an adjunctive diagnostic modality when traditional methods have not yielded a diagnosis See also Diarrhea, Traveler's + Treatment Download Section PDF Listen +++ ++ See individual infection for Treatment recommendations