Since the last large Zika fever epidemic in Brazil 2015/2016, during which an association of the infectious disease with severe neurological syndromes was identified (Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, congenital neurological damages in newborns), the demand for reliable diagnostic tests has increased extremely. With the new PCR-based direct detection, EUROIMMUN complements the existing range of serological […]
EUROIMMUN now offers a new ELISA for the detection of IgA antibodies for the diagnosis of Zika infections. But why is this necessary? Determination of anti-Zika virus IgA may help in the diagnosis of acute Zika virus infections if specific IgM antibodies are not measurable. Primary and secondary immune response in Zika virus infections Usually, IgM antibodies
A few days ago, Prof Dr Ute Mackenstedt from the University of Hohenheim, an expert in the research of ticks, together with Dr Gerhard Dobler from the reference laboratory for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Dr Rainer Oehme from the Baden-Württemberg Health Authority, reported on two novel ways by which TBE viruses can be transmitted to
In 2016, the number of whooping cough cases has reached a worrying record in Germany – 22,000 lab confirmed cases were reported to the Robert-Koch-Institute (RKI). In the previous year there were 14,000 cases and more than 1,500 patients have already been registered in 2017 (as of February 9th, 2017). Whooping cough is caused by
Still today, it seems to be a taboo to speak about sexually transmitted infections, short STI. However, sweeping the topic under the rug is not an option. According to the WHO, there are over a million new cases of STI in the world ̶ every day. STI pathogens include bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi, which
