Hepatitis E, Schistosomiasis and Echinococcosis-Prevalence in a Cohort of Pregnant Migrants in Germany and Their Influence on Fetal Growth Restriction.

Background: Infections, as well as adverse birth outcomes, may be more frequent in migrant women. Schistosomiasis, echinococcosis, and hepatitis E virus (HEV) seropositivity are associated with the adverse pregnancy outcomes of fetal growth restriction and premature delivery.

Methods: A cohort study of 82 pregnant women with a history of migration and corresponding delivery of newborns in Germany was conducted.

Suitability of current typing procedures to identify epidemiologically linked human Giardia duodenalis isolates.

Background: Giardia duodenalis is a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. Humans are mainly infected by two different subtypes, i.e.

Rapid diagnostic test negative Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a traveller returning from Ethiopia.

Background: Plasmodium falciparum strains with mutations/deletions of the genes encoding the histidine-rich proteins 2/3 (pfhrp2/3) have emerged during the last 10 years leading to false-negative results in HRP2-based rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). This can lead to unrecognized infections in individuals and to setbacks in malaria control in endemic countries where RDTs are the backbone of malaria diagnostics and control.

Case Description: Here the detection of a pfhrp2/3-negative P.

Describing nearly two decades of Chagas disease in Germany and the lessons learned: a retrospective study on screening, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection from 2000 - 2018.

Background: The highly complex and largely neglected Chagas disease (CD) has become a global health problem due to population movements between Latin America and non-endemic countries, as well as non-vectorial transmission routes. Data on CD testing and treatment from routine patient care in Germany of almost two decades was collected and analysed.

Methods: German laboratories offering diagnostics for chronic Trypanosoma cruzi (T.

Sulfadiazine plasma concentrations in women with pregnancy-acquired compared to ocular toxoplasmosis under pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine therapy: a case-control study.

Background: Dosing recommendations for the treatment of pregnancy-acquired toxoplasmosis are empirical and widely based on experimental data. There are no pharmacological data on pregnant women with acute Toxoplasma gondii infection under treatment with pyrimethamine (PY) and sulfadiazine (SA) and our study intends to tighten this gap.

Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, we included 89 pregnant women with primary Toxoplasma infection (PT) treated with PY (50 mg first dose, then 25 mg/day), SA (50 mg/kg of body weight/day), and folinic acid (10-15 mg per week).

Osseous hydatidosis of the proximal femur: a rare diagnosis in revision total hip arthroplasty.

Musculoskeletal hydatidosis is a rare but severe disease in central Europe. This case report presents the incidental finding of an osseous hydatidosis after cementless revision total hip arthroplasty in a patient without a preoperative history of hydatidosis or any clinical symptoms. Revision total hip arthroplasty had been necessary due to a septic osteonecrosis of the femoral head 2 years after osteosynthesis of a traumatic proximal femur fracture with a sliding hip screw.

Risk factors for epilepsy in Bas-Uélé Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a case-control study.

Background: The reason for the high prevalence of epilepsy in onchocerciasis endemic areas remains unknown. The aim of this study was to detect risk factors associated with epilepsy in a region endemic for onchocerciasis.

Methods: In June 2014, a case-control study was performed in Titule, Bas-Uélé Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Is there a risk of filarial infection during long-term missions in Haiti?

Background: Haiti has the highest prevalence of lymphatic filariasis (Wuchereria bancrofti) in the Western Hemisphere. Still, the risk of filarial infection for long-term visitors such as humanitarian aid workers or military personnel is uncertain. The presented study analyzed the exposure to W.

Specific K39 antibody response and its persistence after treatment in patients with imported leishmaniasis.

The sensitivity of a K39 ELISA (Leishmania IgG, Virion/Serion) for the detection of antibodies in patients with imported leishmaniasis was compared with an immunofluorescence assay (IFA), which was applied as "golden standard". The retrospective study comprised 93 IFA-positive or borderline sera from 42 patients with visceral (n = 16) or cutaneous (n = 26) leishmaniasis. Patients had acquired infection predominately in the Mediterranean area or the Middle East.

Prevalence and risk factors for echinococcal infection in a rural area of northern Chile: a household-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Hydatidosis is a zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution caused by Echinococcus granulosus. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of human and canine echinococcosis as well as the associated risk factors in a rural area of the Limarí province in northern Chile.

Methodology/principal Findings: A cross-sectional study was conducted between August and November 2009 using a stratified sampling design in each of the five districts of the province.

[Rare retrovesical tumor manifestation of cystic echinococcosis (Echinococcus granulosus)].

Unclear pelvic retrovesical intraperitoneal tumors can be caused by cystic echinococcosis. A definitive diagnosis of this disease is highly problematic und often requires a qualified histological/parasitological assessment. It is not possible to diagnose or exclude a cystic echinococcosis purely on the basis of a serological diagnosis.

Treatment of imported New World cutaneous leishmaniasis in Germany.

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a parasitic disease which represents a public health problem, particularly in Central and South America, has become a leading condition in travelers who return from tropical countries with skin disorders. Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, the most common causative agent, requires systemic treatment because it is potentially able to disseminate and to cause mucosal or mucocutaneous disease. Although several drugs are available for the systemic treatment of leishmaniases, a definitive treatment regimen for infection caused by species of the Viannia subgenus has yet to be established in many countries, including Germany.

Serological confirmatory testing of alveolar and cystic echinococcosis in clinical practice: results of a comparative study with commercialized and in-house assays.

Sera of 50 patients with either cystic (CE) or alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in different clinical stages were examined for the presence of anti-Echinococcus-antibodies. Antibody-screening was performed with ELISA, IHA and IFAT, and confirmatory testing was done by the commercialized E. multilocularis-specific Em2plus-ELISA versus an in-house E.

The timing of sulfadiazine therapy impacts the reactivation of latent Toxoplasma infection in IRF-8-/- mice.

The process of reactivation of latent infection with Toxoplasma gondii in immunosuppressed hosts is yet not fully understood. In the past, a number of murine models of reactivation in immunocompromised mice have been described using sulfadiazine to establish latent infection before withdrawal and subsequent reactivation. We studied the process of reactivation in brains of mice with a targeted mutation in the interferon-regulatory factor (IRF)-8 gene after withdrawal of sulfadiazine therapy.

Posttranslational modifications of alpha-tubulin of Toxoplasma gondii.

The posttranslational modifications of alpha-tubulin of Toxoplasma gondii were characterized by antibodies and biochemical analysis of the carboxy-terminal peptide. Alpha-Tubulin is acetylated and glutamylated. Side chains with up to three glutamate residues are linked to Glu445 of T.