In May 2015, the first case of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was reported in Brazil. To date, the infectious disease has been primarily present in Asia and Africa, but since the beginning of 2015 it has spread across the Americas. ZIKV is transmitted by the same mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus) as the dengue and […]
Antibodies against double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) are immunological indicators for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a severe rheumatic autoimmune disease. According to the recommendations of the American College of Rheumatology, their detection constitutes an important criterion for the diagnosis of the disease [1]. Among the commonly applied test systems, indirect immunofluorescence on the flagellate Crithidia luciliae
Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is considered the most frequent autoimmune blistering disease with an incidence of about 1.5 to 2 per 100,000 inhabitants and year in the general population. The disease becomes even more frequent in the elderly. The clinical picture of BP includes tense blisters, formation of erythema, erosions, crusts and pruritus. The presence of
The name already sounds alarming: Echinococcoses. The diseases can be caused by infections with tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus. Basically, there are two clinical patterns: cystic echinococcosis (CE), induced by the dog tapeworm E. granulosus, which is globally spread but rarely occurs in Germany. Infection with the fox tapeworm E. multilocularis, which is prevalent at
In 2012, a new coronavirus was identified in the Middle East causing a respiratory syndrome in humans (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, MERS-CoV). Camels were shown to be a major reservoir for the virus and a potential source for human infections. Although transmission of the virus from animals to humans as well as humans to
