Inverse association between Chlamydia pneumoniae respiratory tract infection and initiation of asthma or allergic rhinitis in children.

To evaluate the role of Chlamydia pneumoniae respiratory tract infection on pediatric asthma, allergic rhinitis or atopic eczema initiation, children of three age groups (n=1211) were prospectively studied for a C. pneumoniae infection using throat swabs and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with enzyme immunoassay (EIA) detection. Infected children (study group, SG) were examined monthly until the agent could not be detected, quantifying persistent infection.

Tendonitis in variant hyperimmunoglobulinaemia D and periodic fever syndrome--a rare disease with a new symptom.

Unlabelled: Hyperimmunoglobulinaemia D syndrome (HIDS) is defined as recurrent fever, generalised lymphadenitis, abdominal pain, arthritis and raised polyclonal serum IgD >100 IU/ml. The cause is a mutation in the mevalonate kinase gene. Other periodic fever syndromes are known.

Chlamydophila pneumoniae respiratory tract infection aggravates therapy refractory bronchitis or pneumonia in childhood.

Background: Chlamydophila pneumoniae was frequently found in bronchial secretions of children with therapy-refractory bronchitis or pneumonia. It was studied, how the agent modifies the course of disease and what findings are associated with the infection.

Patients And Methods: Bronchial secretions obtained at bronchoscopy of 428 children were studied for C.

[Vaccination for stab and bite injuries in the facial region].

In cases of stab and bite injuries to the face there is a risk of general infection and the necessity for an active and/or passive immunization must be considered by the first treating physician. In Central Europe tetanus, rabies, hepatitis B and C as well as HIV must be taken into account as possible consequences of such injuries. With regard to a tetanus immunization the indication for the post-exposition prophylaxis (PEP) should generally be as wide as possible.

Chlamydia pneumoniae carriage and infection in hospitalized children with respiratory tract diseases.

Background: The importance of Chlamydia pneumoniae respiratory tract infection in childhood is under discussion.

Patients And Methods: 798 hospitalized children with respiratory tract diseases were prospectively studied during a 2-year period by polymerase chain reaction and enzyme immunoassay (PCR-EIA) detection from throat swabs. Paired serum samples were used to screen for Chlamydia antibodies.

Prevalence, rate of persistence and respiratory tract symptoms of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in 1211 kindergarten and school age children.

Background: is a common cause of respiratory disease, but little is known about asymptomatic infection, duration of persistent respiratory tract infection and seasonal changes of prevalence in a normal large sample size pediatric population.

Methods: We studied the prevalence of infection in 1211 children of 3 age groups: 3- to 4-year-old kindergarten children ( = 184) and schoolchildren attending first and second ( = 353) or seventh and eighth grade classes ( = 674). Polymerase chain reaction and enzyme immunoassay detection (PCR-EIA) of throat swabs were used.

Bronchial Chlamydia pneumoniae infection, markers of allergic inflammation and lung function in children.

A relationship between respiratory Chlamydia pneumoniae infection (RCPI) and bronchial asthma is under discussion. Our objective was to study the frequency of RCPI and whether it is associated with markers of asthma in children with recurrent or chronic bronchitis as well as pneumonia. One-hundred and forty-eight children who underwent bronchoscopy were enrolled; 42 children with additional respiratory infections were excluded.

Intensive chemotherapeutic regimens against acute leukemia transiently suppress asthma symptoms but do not lead to long-term relief.

In some very rare cases children suffer from a combination of asthma and a malignant disease. This study investigated whether intensive chemotherapy might have a positive effect on asthma in these special cases and whether asthma generally relapses after completion of chemotherapy. The authors monitored clinical outcome and lung function of 43 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma who received chemotherapy at the University Children's Hospital of Greifswald between 1993 and 1998.

General non-specific morbidity is reduced after vaccination within the third month of life--the Greifswald study.

Objectives: The incidence of many serious infectious diseases fundamentally decline as a success of consequent vaccination regimens. However, it is a matter of discussion if vaccination might cause unspecific negative side effects on the immune system. To answer this, we performed a clinical study on children with the question as to whether there is an enhanced frequency of infection diseases after vaccination or not.

Clinical presentations of infection by the human herpesvirus-7 (HHV-7).

Reports on the clinical picture of primary infection with the human herpesvirus-7 (HHV-7) are scarce. A heterogenous population of 478 patients (1 month-14 years) was examined for the presence of an acute HHV-7 infection. A variety of clinical pictures can be observed during primary infection with HHV-7, such as exanthema subitum and mononucleosis-like syndrome.

Maffucci's syndrome as cause of chronic liquorrhea.

We present the case of a 14-year-old girl suffering from Maffucci's syndrome, a rare ailment belonging to the group of osteochondrodysplasias. At the age of 6 months, a diffuse swelling first appeared in the girl's right cheekbone region and the periauricular area. Because of recurrent meningitis with massive otoliquorrhea, several surgical revisions were performed, beginning at the age of 4 years.

Persistent parvovirus B19 infections in immunocompromised children.

Immunocompromised patients have been shown to suffer from prolonged viral infections often without detectable immune response. Here chronic infections with low virus levels can be frequently observed. In these patients viral DNA can be detected over long periods by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

The diagnostic importance of eosinophil granulocytes in the CSF of children with ventricular-peritoneal shunt systems.

We investigated the occurrence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) eosinophilia in patients with ventriculo-abdominal shunt systems with regard to possible infection. For this purpose, we examined the CSF of 83 children at the time of shunt obstruction or malfunction. In 32 children (38.

[Effect of ambulatory sports therapy on bronchial asthma in children].

Exercise-induced asthma (EIA) is very common in children with asthma. For this reason they avoid every strenuous exercise because they fear a new asthma attack. Working capacity and maturation of motor performance can be insufficient as a consequence.

Evaluation of immunoassays for detection of antibodies to human herpesvirus 7.

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA), an immunoblot assay (IB), and an indirect immunofluorescence assay were developed for detection of human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) antibodies in human serum. Cross-absorption studies with EIA or IFA using HHV-7 and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) antigens indicated that most human sera contain cross-reactive HHV-6 and HHV-7 antibodies and that the degree of cross-reactivity varies between individual serum specimens. Inhibition of homologous antibody activity by absorption with heterologous virus ranged from 0 to 57% by EIA.

Case report: detection of parvovirus B19 in a skin biopsy of a patient with erythema infectiosum.

We report the findings on a skin biopsy taken from a child acutely infected with parvovirus B19 showing the typical exanthematous rash. By indirect immunofluorescence with a monoclonal antibody to B19, viral capsid proteins were detected in epidermal cells localized mainly in the stratum basale. Additionally, B19 DNA was detected in epidermal cells of the stratum basale by in situ hybridization using a Dig-labelled B19 DNA probe.

[Suspected vaccination complications or atypical vaccination course. Diagnostic assessment of 58 vaccine recipients].

The "list of recommended vaccinations" of the regional Ministries of Health is the legal basis for routine vaccination programmes in each region of Germany; the recommendations of the Federal Commission on Vaccinations, "STIKO", are not legally binding. These programmes of the different regions provide legal grounds for determining claims for damage against a vaccinating doctor. In cases of damage, the Ministry of Health is liable for the damage to a patient caused by a recommended vaccination.