Aspergillus spp. are ubiquitous moulds which are found in the soil, compost, or on humid walls. They form single-celled spores that spread through the air and of which every person inhales hundreds every day. Their concentration is especially increased in the summer. In people with an intact immune system, inhalation of the spores has usually […]
In spring 2019, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) called upon countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to prepare for possible outbreaks of dengue fever. Since the 1980ies, there were dengue virus epidemics in this region, at intervals of some years. The last one occurred in 2013, with over two million disease cases. This
According to a current publication of the European Centre for Prevention and Control of Diseases (ECDC), this year’s total number of cases exceeds the total number of West Nile fever (WNF) cases in Europe of the past five years by far. WNV belongs to the most widely distributed flaviviruses. West Nile fever (WNF), caused by
Over the past years, a global spread of a multitude of new viruses and other pathogens has been observed, leading to previously unknown diseases. Lately, there was an increase in epidemics of vector-borne infectious diseases, especially in tropical regions. Alongside dengue and chikungunya fever, Zika fever, which spread in large parts of the South American
They are nasty: they are itching, they scale, inflame, hurt and really do not look nice – fungal skin and nail infections! And not only the therapy may turn into a test of patience, if it, as it happens so often, requires application for several months. Also diagnosis of infection and identification of the pathogen
