[Detection of West Nile virus in human samples: follow-up studies during the 2015 seasonal period].

Introduction: West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis is responsible for human infections in Hungary. Laboratory diagnosis is based on serological tests, however the application of molecular methods has been appreciated.

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate blood, cerebrospinal-fluid and urine samples of acutely ill patients and to follow-up PCR positive cases to ascertain the length of virus excretion.

Explosive spread of a neuroinvasive lineage 2 West Nile virus in Central Europe, 2008/2009.

For the first time outside sub-Saharan Africa, a lineage 2 West Nile virus (WNV) emerged in Hungary in 2004. It caused sporadic cases of encephalitis in goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), other predatory birds, and in mammals. As a consequence, a surveillance program was initiated in Hungary and in Austria, which included virological, molecular, serological and epidemiological investigations in human beings, birds, horses, and mosquitoes.

Serologic evidence of West Nile virus infection in patients with exanthema in Hungary.

The presence of WNV in Europe has been well known for decades, although the first human infections and avian outbreaks were diagnosed in Hungary only in 2003. An annual average of 6-8 cases of the neuroinvasive form of WNV infection has been detected in the region since then, but a higher number (17) of WNV associated neuroinvasive disease occurred in 2008. In 2004, a surveillance system was established for monitoring WNV-associated meningo-encephalitis cases in Hungary, but a milder type of illness (with fever, rash and/or influenza like symptoms) is not followed.

Experimental infection of goats with tick-borne encephalitis virus and the possibilities to prevent virus transmission by raw goat milk.

Objectives: The aim of this work was to study the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection of goats and the possibilities to prevent human milk-borne infections either by immunizing animals or the heat treatment of milk.

Methods: An experiment was conducted with 20 milking goats. Ten goats (half of them immunized) were challenged with live TBEV and 10 were left uninfected.

Severe tick-borne encephalitis in a patient previously infected by West Nile virus.

We describe severe tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in a patient who had previously experienced West Nile fever, another flavivirus infection endemic in Hungary. Previous West Nile virus infection does not develop immunity either against TBE virus infection or the disease, and it does not mitigate its clinical course. The possibility of antibody-dependent enhancement is considered.

A simple spatial model to explain the distribution of human tick-borne encephalitis cases in hungary.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a common medical problem in Hungary and throughout much of Europe and Asia. This paper develops a geographic model that helps to predict the distribution of human tick-borne encephalitis cases in Hungary. The model is tested on a dataset of serologically confirmed TBE cases mapped by patients' residences.

Reverse ELISA for IgG and IgM antibodies to detect Lassa virus infections in Africa.

Background: Anti-Lassa antibodies are detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) or by enzyme-immunoassay (ELISA). Both methods have problems to detect low amounts of specific antibodies.

Objectives: We report here highly sensitive and specific reverse ELISAs to detect Lassa virus IgG and IgM antibodies.