Outbreak of amebiasis in a family in The Netherlands.

Human-to-human transmission of Entamoeba histolytica is rare in industrialized countries. We describe an outbreak of amebiasis in a family in The Netherlands, demonstrating that even with Western standards of hygiene, persistent cyst passage may result in the transmission of E. histolytica to household contacts.

[Acute pancreatitis caused by metronidazole].

A 45-year-old woman in the period 1988-1995 suffered three episodes of acute pancreatitis associated with the use of metronidazole. On each occasion the pancreatitis subsided after withdrawal of metronidazole. Pancreatitis is a very infrequent, but potentially dangerous adverse effect of metronidazole.

[African sleeping sickness in The Netherlands].

Of the four most dangerous protozoal infections acquired in (sub)tropical regions, falciparum malaria, amoebic abscess of the liver, visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) only the fourth was up to now unreported in the Dutch medical literature. Two case histories are presented: a Cameroonian woman, resident in the Netherlands for two years, suffering from West African type sleeping sickness, and a Dutch tourist who acquired East African trypanosomiasis while travelling through Zimbabwe. Although the parasites are morphologically identical, clinical and epidemiological characteristics are distinctly different.