Marburg haemorrhagic fever in returning travellers: an overview aimed at clinicians

Marburg virus haemorrhagic fever (MARV HF) is a dramatic disease that can occur in a traveller returning from an area where the virus is endemic. In this article, we provide an overview of MARV HF as an imported infection with an emphasis on clinical aspects. Although late features such as rash, signs of haemorrhagic diathesis and liver necrosis may point to the diagnosis, the initial clinical picture is nonspecific. If in this early phase the patient's epidemiological exposure history is compatible with MARV HF, the patient should be isolated and managed according to viral haemorrhagic fever protocol and RT-PCR should be performed on the patient's blood as soon as possible to rule out MARV HF (or other possible viral haemorrhagic fevers). In severe cases, direct electron microscopy of blood in specialized centres (e.g. Bernhard-Nocht Institute in Hamburg, Germany) may be considered if the result of the RT-PCR is not readily available. Adequate diagnostics and empirical treatment for other acute life-threatening illnesses should not be withheld while test results are awaited, but all management and diagnostics should be weighed against the risks of nosocomial transmission. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Reinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 without recurrence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a rare, potentially life-threatening postinfectious complication in children after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. It is currently unknown if multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) can recur upon reinfection with SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report on a former MIS-C patient who was reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 without recurrence of MIS-C.Cardiovascular Aspects of Radiolog

Endolymphatic hydrops and fluctuating hearing loss in a patient with congenital cytomegalovirus infection

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection can cause fluctuating hearing loss and vestibulopathy. The pathogenesis is unknown. This report describes a 13-year old boy with cCMV and severe hearing loss in the right ear since age 3, presenting with fluctuating hearing loss in the left ear and vestibular symptoms. 3D fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI showed endolymphatic hydrops in the acutely affected ear. This is the first description of a child with cCMV subjected to this imaging technique, raising the question whether endolymphatic hydrops could play a role in the development of late-onset symptoms and demonstrating the possibilities of this MRI sequence.Molecular basis of virus replication, viral pathogenesis and antiviral strategie

Diagnosis of intrauterine parvovirus B19 infection at birth - value of DNA detection in neonatal blood and dried blood spots

Background: Diagnosis of congenital viral infection at birth is generally attempted by direct detection of the virus by PCR in various neonatal materials. How to reliably diagnose intrauterine infection with parvovirus B19 (B19 V) at birth is unknown.Objectives: To evaluate the performance of B19 V DNA detection in cord blood (CB) or neonatal dried blood spots (DBS) in diagnosing fetal infection. Study design: Two cohorts of children diagnosed prenatally with an intrauterine B19 V infection were included in this study. CB samples of intrauterine B19 V infections that were sent to a reference laboratory for congenital infections in Stuttgart, Germany in the period 1995-2014 were tested in triplicate for B19 V DNA by quantitative PCR. DBS from children with intrauterine B19 V infection that underwent IUT at the LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands in the period 2009-2014 were tested for B19 V DNA by quantitative B19 V PCR in triplicate.Results: Fourteen of twenty (70 %) CB samples tested positive for B19 V DNA. The positivity rate was 40 % (4/10) in those with a prenatal diagnosis< 20 weeks gestation. When intrauterine B19 V infection was diagnosed thereafter, 100 % (10/10) samples were B19 V DNA positive. Of the thirteen available DBS, twelve (92 %) tested positive. Viral load in CB and DBS corresponded inversely with time from fetal diagnosis to birth.Conclusion: B19 V DNA can be detected in neonatal blood samples of children following intrauterine B19 V infection, although the possibility of false-negatives, even in severe infections, should be considered. B19 V viral load at birth correlates with timing of infection.Research into fetal development and medicin

Determinanten van de aanwezigheid van hepatitis-A-antistoffen onder verpleegkundigen werkzaam op een endoscopie-afdeling; implicaties voor HAV-vaccinatiebeleid in de zorg.

Ned Tijdschr Med Microbiol 2011;19 (1): 10-1

Virale infecties bij kinderen na een hematopoiëtische stamceltransplantatie

Ned Tdschr voor Allergie en Astma 2011; 11 (1):13-23Medical Microbiolog

Virale infecties bij kinderen na een hematopoiëtische stamceltransplantatie

Ned Tdschr voor Allergie en Astma 2011; 11 (1):13-2

Determinanten van de aanwezigheid van hepatitis-A-antistoffen onder verpleegkundigen werkzaam op een endoscopie-afdeling; implicaties voor HAV-vaccinatiebeleid in de zorg.

Ned Tijdschr Med Microbiol 2011;19 (1): 10-13Medical Microbiolog

Pre- en perinatale virale infecties.

Ned Tijdschr Med Microbiol 2011;19 (1): 28-3

Pre- en perinatale virale infecties.

Ned Tijdschr Med Microbiol 2011;19 (1): 28-32Medical Microbiolog