Introduction: Due to the increasing number of refugees from East Africa, louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) has become an emergent disease in Europe. No single case of LBRF has been reported in Europe in refugees from other parts of Africa.
Case report: We report a case of LBRF in a refugee from Mali, likely acquired in Libya, where several migration routes into Europe meet. The disease must be considered in any febrile refugee regardless the country of origin.
Keywords: Borrelia recurrentis; Europe; Fever; Libya; Louse-borne recurrentis fever; Mali; Migrants; Pediculus humanus humanus; Refugee.