Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Enders

Publications and source records attributed to M Enders.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Syphilis in pregnancy].

Syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection, has a major impact on the disease burden worldwide. Globally, an estimated 12 million new cases of sexually acquired syphilis occurred in 1997. Developing countries in Africa, Southeast Asia and regions of the former Soviet Union are mainly affected. With rising numbers of human immunodeficiency virus-infected pregnant women and an increase in gonorrhoea in some areas, the incidence of syphilis is expected to increase again. As a consequence of migration from Eastern bloc countries to Europe after the breakdown of the former Soviet Union, the resurgence of syphilis will also affect Germany. Therefore, we present the clinical picture of syphilis as well as review the current recommendations of the German STD Society, the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), USA, and the Clinical Effectiveness Group (CEG), England, for diagnosis and treatment of syphilis with special emphasis on pregnancy. Considering the current epidemiological situation, physicians should include syphilis in their differential diagnosis. Although recommended therapy regimens differ, penicillin is the treatment of choice. Pregnant patients who are allergic to penicillin should be desensitized and treated with penicillin. Early recognition and timely treatment of syphilis are essential to prevent or treat potentially fatal fetal infection.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Human parvovirus B19 serology and avidity using a combination of recombinant antigens enables a differentiated picture of the current state of infection.

In order to improve serodiagnostic methods for the determination of the state of human parovirus B19 infection, a new test system, recomLine Parvovirus, based on the use of recombinant antigens, has been developed and evaluated. The test system combines the advantages of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods with those of the Western blot technique. For the recombinant line assay, five antigens of human parvovirus B19 that were recombinantly produced in Escherichia coli were applied directly on nitrocellulose membranes: VP2, the aminoterminal and the carboxyterminal domain of VP1 (VP-N and VP-C), VP-1S another fragment of VP-N and NS1. In addition, empty virus particles isolated from eukaryotic cell cultures were also applied. The recombinant-line assay was used to detect human IgG and IgM antibodies directed against human parvovirus B19. In addition, the avidity of the IgG antibodies was investigated. The recombinant line assay was evaluated using 87 human serum samples of patients recently infected with human parvovirus B19 including 10 samples of three infection time courses and 100 serum samples of healthy blood donors. All results were compared with commercially available ELISAs. In the case of discrepancies, Western blot analysis was performed. The data revealed the recombinant line assay to be highly sensitive and specific. The individual determination of the human immune response against several recombinant antigens covering the structural proteins of human parvovirus B19 gives a deeper insight into the actual status of infection. In addition, the determination of IgG avidity against these individual recombinant antigens enables a more precise and differentiated picture of the infection event.

Antibodies, Viral↗