Frequency and characteristics of bacterial and viral low-grade infections of the intervertebral discs: a prospective, observational study.

Study Design: Monocentric, prospective, observational study.

Objective: The clinical relevance of bacterial colonization of intervertebral discs is controversial. This study aimed to determine a possible relationship between bacterial and viral colonization and low-grade infection of the discs.

Cervical biopsies and cytological smears - a comparison of sample materials in HPV diagnostics.

Background: Cervical cancer is causally related to cervical infections by oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes. To improve the quality of diagnosis evaluation of screening methods and their HPV type detection rate is an important part for this item.

Objectives: Two different cervical specimens of the same patients were analysed simultaneously with molecular HPV subtyping methods to find the most sensitive sample material for cervical cancer screening.

Identification of a new methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain that cannot be assigned to any known spa type.

spa typing is a method used in molecular typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Due to the lack of an amplification product in one of 55 MRSA cases, a new PCR setup, which allows an indicative description of a previously unknown type, was performed.

Fatal Epstein-Barr virus encephalitis in a 12-year-old child: an underappreciated neurological complication?

Background: A 12-year-old boy presented to a community hospital with fever, malaise and fatigue. A polymerase chain reaction test of the cerebrospinal fluid was positive for Epstein-Barr virus. Despite intensive care treatment and antiviral drugs, the patient died 1 month after his initial presentation.