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ABSTRACT: The prevalence of dengue antibodies was determined in the Attapeu region of South Laos with 225 blood samples collected from mostly febrile patients during the rainy season August - October 2001. An IgM capture ELISA was positive for one (0.4%) sample, while 177 (79%) samples were positive in an indirect IgG ELISA. Of the positive IgG samples, 20 (11.3%) were also positive on blood slides for Plasmodium falciparum. Dengue fever seems to be widespread in this area, but clinical dengue diagnosis remains difficult, especially in the first days of illness when physicians have to discriminate between dengue and other febrile illnesses.
Clinical Microbiology and Infection 03/2004; 10(2):181-4. · 4.54 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Failures of mefloquine prophylaxis in travellers returning from Africa have been reported repeatedly. Non-compliance to chemoprophylaxis is considered to be a major factor for failure. Only few reports on mefloquine prophylaxis failure in sub-Saharan Africa were able to report blood levels of the drug that were sufficient for prophylactic effectiveness. We report the case of a 44-year-old German female who travelled to Tanzania for 3 weeks. The patient reported that she never missed a dose of mefloquine during her weekly prophylaxis schedule. Four weeks after returning from Tanzania, the patient presented with fever, headache and myalgia. Only a few trophozoites of Plasmodium falciparum were found in a thick film. Blood levels of mefloquine at that stage were at 1400 ng/ml, thus largely excluding non-compliance and malabsorption. To our knowledge, this is the first case of confirmed prophylaxis failure due to mefloquine resistance in East Africa.
Acta Tropica 05/2003; 86(1):63-5. · 2.72 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Alveolar echinococcosis is considered to be the most dangerous endemic parasitic disease for man in Central Europe. In Germany, unlike the neighbouring countries of Switzerland, Austria and France, only limited data on the prevalence and incidence of echinococcosis are available. Therefore, a retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in order to investigate the epidemiology of echinococcosis in Bavaria, one of the two southern states of Germany. A standardised questionnaire was sent to all hospitals in Bavaria requesting information about patients seen from 1985 to 1989. In a second step a team of reviewers was sent to all relevant hospitals for active case finding in hospital statistics and medical records. A total of 216 patients with echinococcosis were detected of whom 58 had alveolar echinococcosis. According to these data, the prevalence in Bavaria was calculated to be 0.5 per 100,000 inhabitants with peak values in the counties of Swabia (2.4) and Upper Bavaria (0.6). The annual mean incidence of newly diagnosed cases amounted to 0.03 per 100,000. The distribution of prevalence in man was closely correlated to the infection rates in foxes throughout Bavaria (p < 0.05).="" farmers="" are="" the="" occupational="" group="" with="" the="" highest="" risk="" to="" acquire="" echinococcosis="" with="" a="" prevalence/odds="" ratio="" of="" 14.6="" for="" swabia="" and="" 8.8="" for="" upper="" bavaria,="" when="" compared="" to="" the="" general="" rural="">Die alveolre Echinokokkose wird als die gefhrlichste, in Zentraleuropa endemische Parasitose des Menschen angesehen. In Deutschland liegen — anders als in den Nachbarlndern Schweiz, sterreich und Frankreich — nur sprliche Angaben ber die Prvalenz und Inzidenz der Echinokokkose vor. Daher wurde eine retrospektive Querschnittsuntersuchung durchgefhrt, um epidemiologische Daten zur Echinokokkose in Bayern zu erfassen. Ein standardisierter Fragebogen wurde an alle Krankenhuser in Bayern geschickt, um Angaben ber Patienten mit Echinokokkose fr den Zeitraum 1985 bis 1989 zu registrieren. In einem zweiten Schritt wurden zur aktiven Fallsuche Krankenhausstatistiken und - archive untersucht. Insgesamt wurden 216 Patienten mit Echinokokkose entdeckt, von denen 58 an alveolrer Echinokokkose litten. Aufgrund dieser Daten wurde die Gesamt-Prvalenz der alveolren Echinokokkose in Bayern mit 0,5 pro 100.000 Einwohner berechnet, wobei Spitzenwerte fr die Regierungsbezirke Schwaben (2,4) und Oberbayern (0,6) festgestellt wurden. Die jhrliche durchschnittliche Inzidenz betrgt 0,03 pro 100.000. Die geographische Verteilung der Prvalenz der Erkrankung beim Menschen zeigt eine enge Korrelation mit den Infektionsraten bei Fchsen in Bayern. Im Vergleich zur lndlichen Bevlkerung bilden Landwirte mit einer Prvalenz-/Odds-Ratio von 14,6 fr Schwaben und 8,8 fr Oberbayern die Bevlkerungsgruppe mit dem hchsten Risiko, an alveolrer Echinokokkose zu erkranken.
Infection 02/1995; 23(2):85-88. · 2.66 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Seventy-one anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) negative volunteers were immunized against hepatitis A. An inactivated hepatitis A vaccine (HAVRIX, SmithKline Beecham), derived from tissue cell cultures, at single doses of 720 ELISA units was used following a schedule of vaccinations at month 0, 1 and 6. The vaccinees were tested for the presence of HAV antibodies 1 month after each vaccination and then after 2, 3, 4 and 5 years. The annual decrease of anti-HAV titres was 25%. Five years after vaccination a protective antibody titre, varying between 20 and 5200 mIU ml−1, could be demonstrated in all 47 retested volunteers with a geometric mean titre (GMT) of 442 mIU ml−1. Levels of anti-HAV-antibodies following active immunization were significantly higher in female volunteers. This could be consistently demonstrated throughout the observation period. Based on these data the antibody persistence was calculated over time. GMTs at protective levels higher than 20 mIU ml−1 can be expected to persist for at least 15 years.
Vaccine.
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ABSTRACT: Failures of mefloquine prophylaxis in travellers returning from Africa have been reported repeatedly. Non-compliance to chemoprophylaxis is considered to be a major factor for failure. Only few reports on mefloquine prophylaxis failure in sub-Saharan Africa were able to report blood levels of the drug that were sufficient for prophylactic effectiveness. We report the case of a 44-year-old German female who travelled to Tanzania for 3 weeks. The patient reported that she never missed a dose of mefloquine during her weekly prophylaxis schedule. Four weeks after returning from Tanzania, the patient presented with fever, headache and myalgia. Only a few trophozoites of Plasmodium falciparum were found in a thick film. Blood levels of mefloquine at that stage were at 1400 ng/ml, thus largely excluding non-compliance and malabsorption. To our knowledge, this is the first case of confirmed prophylaxis failure due to mefloquine resistance in East Africa.
Acta Tropica.
