[Sandfly fever-a "neglected" disease].

A 45-year-old woman presented at the outpatient department of a center for tropical diseases with fever, diarrhea, headache, myalgia, malaise, and an itchy papular rash. She had been on holiday with her family for 11 days in a mountain village in northern Cyprus. The place was infested with a lot of small, stinging flies or mosquitoes.

Management of accidental exposure to Ebola virus in the biosafety level 4 laboratory, Hamburg, Germany.

A needlestick injury occurred during an animal experiment in the biosafety level 4 laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, in March 2009. The syringe contained Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) mixed with Freund's adjuvant. Neither an approved treatment nor a postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) exists for Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

Pulmonary infection with rapidly growing mycobacteria in a singer with achalasia: a case report.

We report the case of a 37-year-old male patient with prolonged pneumonia and achalasia. Culture and molecular genetic typing identified Mycobacterium abscessus as causative agent. Treatment with clarithromycin and minocycline over 8 months gradually resolved the infection.

Myeloradiculitis: a rare event in schistosoma infection.

Schistosomiasis a parasitic disease caused by trematodes is widely distributed in (sub-)tropical countries. Depending on the species the infection manifests clinically as gastrointestinal (preferentially Schistosoma mansoni and S. japonicum) or urinary (preferentially S.

[Kala azar. Rare import and significant differential diagnosis].

After traveling into regions endemic for leishmaniasis all patients presenting with generalized febrile symptoms, pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly and symptoms as well as laboratory parameters also seen in autoimmune diseases should be screened for leishmaniasis even after a longer time period. Doctors should bear in mind that especially immunosuppressed patients can present with atypical and abortive symptoms and that in this group of patients immune diagnosis is unreliable. A diagnosis of a lymphoma related only to the spleen should not be made and splenectomy must not be carried out before reliable exclusion of kala azar, using modern diagnostic tools like PCR.

[Chronic lupoid leishmaniasis. A rare differential diagnosis in Germany for erythematous infiltrative facial plaques].

Lupoid leishmaniasis is a unique form of cutaneous leishmaniasis characterized by unusual clinical features and a chronic relapsing course. Clinically and histologically it is similar to lupus vulgaris, which is thus the most important differential diagnostic consideration. All patients with granulomatous facial lesions coming from endemic areas or with a positive travel history should be suspected of having leishmaniasis.

Detection of Ebola virus in oral fluid specimens during outbreaks of Ebola virus hemorrhagic fever in the Republic of Congo.

Background: Patients who have refused to provide blood samples has meant that there have been significant delays in confirming outbreaks of Ebola virus hemorrhagic fever (EVHF). During the 2 EVHF outbreaks in the Republic of Congo in 2003, we assessed the use of oral fluid specimens versus serum samples for laboratory confirmation of cases of EVHF.

Methods: Serum and oral fluid specimens were obtained from 24 patients with suspected Ebola and 10 healthy control subjects.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related lymphoma: simultaneous treatment with combined cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone chemotherapy and highly active antiretroviral therapy is safe and improves survival--results of the German Multicenter Trial.

Background: Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has improved the survival of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related lymphoma (ARL). The German ARL Study Group investigated whether HAART administered concomitantly with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy compromised the course of immune parameters during and after chemotherapy and exerted a positive effect on remission and survival.

Methods: From 1997 to 2001, 72 patients with ARL were stratified prospectively into a standard-risk group (n = 48 patients) and a high-risk group (n = 24 patients) with either 0-1 or 2-3 of the following risk factors: CD4 < 50/microL, prior opportunistic infection, and/or a World Health Organization performance status > or = 3.

Orchitis as an unusual manifestation of human African trypanosomiasis.

African trypanosomiasis is a re-emerging disease. We report the case of an African patient whose predominant symptom was infertility due to a granulomatous orchitis. The patient was afebrile and had not been in Africa for years.

[Therapy of tropical diseases after returning from travel].

Most tropical diseases imported by travelers can be treated quite effectively. Human endoparasites belong to the protozoa and worms. Protozoa can be seen as microparasites, characterized by short generation periods and high rates of reproduction within a host--consequently the diseases mainly are of short duration.

[Familial Mediterranean fever--from gene test to clinical aspects].

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a genetically defined disease affecting mostly families of jewish, turkish or armenian origin whose ancestors originate from the mediterranean basin. The first officially acknowledged description was given by SIEGAL in 1945 but previous cases were reported since 1908. The main clinical signs which are very varying in intensity and appearance are periodic attacks of fever with peritonitis, pleurisy and arthritis.