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Acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria occurred during summer 1993 in two inhabitants living close to Marseille harbour. History of blood transfusion and travel outside France were excluded as was also discarded airport malaria. Entomological investigations confirmed the absence of Anopheles breeding sites in the port area. An hypothesis is a vectorial transmission following introduction of one or several anopheles arrived on a ship coming from tropical Africa. During this season, the weather conditions were favourable to the survival of anopheles and the completion of P. falciparum sporogonic cycle. Physicians were advised to take into consideration malaria in the differential diagnosis of fever from unknown origin in any patient working or living inside or around the harbour area regardless history of previous travel in malaria endemic region.

The Marseilles region is an endemic area for visceral mediterranean leishmaniasis, but although the number of dog cases, the parasite's main host, is very high, only a few people develop the disease. We looked for sensitized healthy subjects among 25 healthy individuals living in this area by studying their in vitro lymphoproliferative response to Leishmania infantum antigens and gamma interferon synthesis. We found that 65% of tested subjects were sensitized against L. infantum. We compared their cell mediated immunity to that of 13 active Kala-Azar patients and 13 controls from non-endemic areas. In patients, results showed a specific cellular immuno-deficiency in the lymphocyte response to L. infantum antigens and a global deficiency of gamma interferon production. Interestingly, the healthy individuals from the endemic area who responded to L. infantum antigens were found to produce high gamma interferon levels after L. infantum antigen stimulation. After healing, the cell mediated-immunity of the 3 patients we followed up was similar to that of the sensitized tested healthy subjects, but the former were still producing antibodies at the time of study.

An outbreak of trichinosis following meals in a rural area of Provence is reported. The epidemiologic parameters reconstitute the contamination cycle (man-pig: fox-rat) which indicated indisputably the diagnosis, the appropriate therapy, and also evidenced a rural zoonosis of trichinosis in Provence. The clinical picture among twenty-one people included morbilliform rash in 38% of cases and an enanthema in 24% of cases, uncommon findings, with respect to their frequency, and the other usual signs. Early laboratory diagnosis was made possible by blood analysis for hypereosinophilia and immunoassay (ELISA) for antigen-specific IgE. Treatment with benzimidazoles was quite effective.

This paper is a survey of possible reservoir hosts of Plasmodium among donors of the blood transfusion Center of Marseille, by IFA test with P. falciparum and P. cynomolgi bastianellii antigens. It was found 15,7 per cent of positivity among 644 sera carefully selected during 6 months. Nord Africa and West Africa were the most dangerous countries, the former because of the great number of donors (332 of 744), the later because of the high rate (15,8 per cent) of positivity. The incidence of the say (frequency and long time) in infested countries and the interval from tate (15,8 per cent) of positivity. The incidence of the stay (frequency and long time) in infested countries and the interval from the last infestation possibility to the IFA test are very important factors. A prevention scheme is proposed: The donors staying during a very long time in infested countries will generally be used only for preparing plasma fractions by ethanol precipitations. For the others donors the blood will be used for preparing whole blood, red cells, fresh or frozen plasma, platelets and leucocytes preparation, in which a few parasites can be present, inly if a IFA test is negative 4 months after their coming back in our country.

A case report of trypanosomiasis (T. rhodesiense), observed in a French tourist is described. The clinical picture associated a cytolytic hepatic jaundice, a thrombopenia with hemorrhagic manifestations, a renal insufficiency and secondarily a neutropenia with anemia. Moderate and transitory anomalies in the cerebrospinal fluid were noted. The cure was effectuated by administration of pentamidine.