Publications by authors named "S Rockahr"
Background: In Germany, the outbreak of the novel pandemic 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus A(H1N1)pdm09 caused a wave of high activity between November 2009 and January 2011. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of 19 respiratory pathogens in children hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infections during the winter influenza seasons of 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 and to observe a possible impact of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 on the epidemiology of other epidemic viruses.
Materials And Methods: Specimens were nasopharyngeal aspirates which had been collected from children admitted to the participating hospitals in the area of Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Kiel, Germany, with acute community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections.
Introduction: Since acute respiratory tract infections inflict a high burden of disease in children worldwide, a multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction combined with a microwell hybridization assay (m-RT-PCR-ELISA) to detect 19 different respiratory pathogens was developed and validated.
Methods: A total of 430 respiratory specimens were retrospectively tested in parallel by both the advanced 19-valent m-RT-PCR-ELISA as well as by culture or individual RT-PCR assays used in clinical routine.
Results: The mean (median) sensitivity of the m-RT-PCR-ELISA in the retrospective test was 93.
Background: In spite of a large amount of data from other countries, those on the burden of disease attributed to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Germany are lacking and are urgently needed.
Method: In a population-based cross-sectional study from July 1996 to June 1999 150 children from birth to 16 years of age hospitalized in Kiel and tested positive for RSV by polymerase chain reaction were investigated. Stepwise linear and logistic regression models were applied to predict a bacterial co-infection as well as the duration of hospitalization.