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A Sauerbrei

Publications and source records attributed to A Sauerbrei.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Virucidal activity of the new disinfectant monopercitric acid.

AIMS: The virucidal efficacy of monopercitric acid (MPCA) was evaluated against the enveloped vaccinia virus as well as the nonenveloped adenovirus type 2 and poliovirus type 1. The results were compared with that obtained with peracetic acid (PAA). METHODS AND RESULTS: In the virucidal suspension test without and with protein burden, all viruses were inactivated by 0.5% MPCA within 0.5 min or by 0.1% MPCA within 5 min as measured by a >10(4)-fold reduction in virus titres. For MPCA, there was a better virucidal efficacy than for PAA which inactivated all viruses included in the test within 15-30 min at a concentration of 0.2%. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The high virucidal activity, short exposure times, and nontoxic by-products seem to make MPCA suitable as disinfectant for medical use and should warrant further investigation.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed2003

Molecular characterisation of varicella-zoster virus strains in Germany and differentiation from the Oka vaccine strain.

With the introduction of varicella vaccination, surveillance of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) strains occurring in cases of chickenpox or zoster should be considered. Differentiating Oka vaccine strain from wild-type VZV can be achieved only using molecular genotyping. In the present study, the VZV genotype was examined in 53 VZV strains isolated from patients with varicella or zoster and in 73 samples from skin eruptions, cerebrospinal fluid, and throat swabs obtained from patients with VZV infections in Germany. The polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphisms analysis using DNA fragments of the open reading frames 38, 54, 62, and the R5 repeat region were used. Whereas all VZV isolates could be typed, direct genotyping of viral DNA in patients' samples was achieved in 63 of 73 cases (86.3%). The dominant genotype of VZV found in 88.8% of 116 patients had the wild-type pattern PstI(+) BglI(-) R5A followed by the wild-genotype PstI(+) BglI(+) R5A in 6.0%, the wild-genotype PstI(+) BglI(-) R5B in 3.4%, the wild-genotype PstI(+) BglI(-) R5C and the Oka vaccine genotype PstI(-) BglI(+) R5B in 0.9% of patients each. BglI(-) wild-types were found in 90.7% of patients with zoster and in 9.3% of patients with varicella. By contrast, the BglI(+) wild-type was diagnosed in five patients with varicella and in two patients with zoster. In conclusion, VZV strains found in Germany are similar to strains circulating in the United States and the United Kingdom. VZV wild-type strains containing a BglI restriction site in ORF 54 as well as Oka vaccine strains can rarely be detected.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Semi-quantitative detection of viral RNA in influenza A virus-infected mice for evaluation of antiviral compounds.

The aim of the study was to establish a murine model for sensitive screening of potential compounds with in vitro anti-influenza A virus activity. The evaluation in this in vivo model is based on semi-quantitative detection of viral RNA using one-step reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). After intranasal infection of fully-conscious mice with influenza A virus, the viral load of the respiratory tract tissues was investigated. Peaks were observed in the nasopharynx between Days 1 and 4, in the trachea on Day 4, and in the lungs between Days 4 and 7 post infection. The elimination of virus correlated with the appearance of specific serum antibodies. After 4 days of treatment with zanamivir, trachea and lungs revealed negative RT-PCR results, whereas viral load in the nasopharynx was significantly reduced. In conclusion, the virus spread in the described murine model is similar to upper respiratory tract infection with influenza virus in human. Viral load measurement by semi-quantitative detection of viral RNA allows rapid and sensitive screening of potential compounds with in vitro anti-influenza A virus activity.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Intracerebral varicella-zoster virus reactivation in congenital varicella syndrome.

Patients with congenital varicella syndrome (CVS) typically present with clinical symptoms consisting of skin lesions, neurological defects, eye diseases, and/or limb hypoplasia. In rare cases, isolated manifestations in the brain or eye have been reported. The varicella-zoster virus (VZV), as the causative agent of CVS, could only be detected in a few infants with CVS. In addition, there is little in the literature on antiviral treatment of infants born with signs of CVS. We report a case of CVS in a male infant who presented with generalized clonic cerebral seizures at age 4 months. An endogenous intracerebral viral reactivation following intrauterine VZV infection was assumed. After the diagnosis was confirmed virologically, acyclovir was administered intravenously for 10 days and afterwards orally for 3 weeks. This antiviral treatment was aimed at preventing progression of the disease. We concluded from this case that infants with intrauterine VZV infection can suffer intracerebral VZV reactivations that require antiviral treatment.

Central Nervous System Diseases↗
PubMed2003

Comparative testing of liposomal and aqueous formulations of povidone-iodine for their angioirritative potential at the chorioallantoic membrane of ex ovo cultivated chick embryos.

BACKGROUND: Due to its excellent microbicidal activity, povidone-iodine (PVP-I) is used for local anti-infective treatment, especially for wound antisepsis of the skin. Previous studies have shown that liposomal PVP-I formulations are less cytotoxic and that a special liposomal PVP-I hydrogel provides wound healing efficacy. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, the angiotoxic activity of the liposomal and the aqueous PVP-I formulations were comparatively tested at the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chick embryos. METHODS: Test preparations were administered onto the CAM of ex ovo cultivated chick embryos. At different time intervals, the local irritation of the blood vessels was examined microscopically and assigned to a score of vascular injury. RESULTS: Angioirritative reactions of the CAM were manifest as coagulation, vascular congestion and hemorrhages. The liposomal formulations containing 0.1, 0.5 or 1% PVP-I were found to be significantly less angiotoxic than the corresponding aqueous formulations. CONCLUSION: The angioirritative potential of PVP-I is significantly reduced by its liposomal encapsulation.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Antibodies against vaccine-preventable diseases in pregnant women and their offspring in the eastern part of Germany.

Maternal and cord blood samples of 290 pregnant women in the eastern part of Germany with a mean age of 28 years (16-41 years) were analyzed for antibodies to vaccine-preventable diseases. Both mothers and infants had detectable levels of antibodies to mumps in 96% and to tetanus in 93% of cases. Detectable levels to poliomyelitis, diphtheria, measles and rubella varied from 55% to 91%. Cord blood samples had a significantly higher prevalence of antibodies to pertussis (61%) and diphtheria (81%) in comparison to maternal samples (pertussis 37%, diphtheria 70%) as well as significantly enhanced antibody concentrations to diphtheria. In conclusion, the prevalence of antibodies to pertussis (61%), diphtheria (81 %), poliomyelitis (55-59%) and measles (85%) is suggested to be insufficient in newborn infants to protect them against these infectious diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Virucidal activity and cytotoxicity of the liposomal formulation of povidone-iodine.

Two drug formulations of povidone-iodine (PVP-I)--an aqueous PVP-I solution (Betaisodona) and a liposomal PVP-I formulation--were tested for their virucidal activity and cytotoxicity in cell culture. As to the virudical activity against influenza A virus, herpes simplex virus type 1, adenovirus type 8 and human rhinovirus type 14, the liposomal formulation of PVP-I proved to be approximately as active as the aqueous one. Half maximum cytotoxic PVP-I concentrations were 0.01-0.07% for aqueous PVP-I and 0.03-0.27% for the liposomal PVP-I formulation (XTT reduction assay EZ4U). The detection of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, DNA fragmentation (ELISA) and DNA strand breakage (TUNEL assay) after 24 h exposure of human embryonic lung fibroblasts to PVP-I revealed that necrosis predominates in cells treated with aqueous 0.08-0.32% PVP-I solutions, whereas apoptosis was the predominant type of cell death in cells treated with equivalent concentrations of liposomal PVP-I formulation. The favorable virucidal efficiency together with the preferred apoptotic route of cell death makes the liposomal PVP-I formulation a promising candidate for topical use in prevention and treatment of infections of the eye and the upper respiratory tract.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed2002

Laboratory diagnosis of central nervous system infections caused by herpesviruses.

BACKGROUND: Herpesviruses may be associated with various types of central nervous system (CNS) infections. Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) has to be considered one of the most severe diseases. As effective antiviral drugs are available, rapid and reliable diagnosis has become important. OBJECTIVES: To describe polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serological methods for the detection of herpesvirus-induced CNS infections by the example of HSE. STUDY DESIGN: 620 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and 2400 serum samples from 2700 selected hospitalized patients with clinical suspicion of encephalitis were tested for herpes simplex virus (HSV) as well as varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA and HSV-specific antibodies, respectively. RESULTS: HSV-1 DNA could be detected in eight and HSV-2 in three patients with focal encephalitis. In addition, HSV-2 DNA was found in two newborns with encephalitis and two adults suffered from transverse lumbar myelitis. One VZV DNA-positive patient had developed herpes zoster accompanied by meningoencephalitis, and in the other an encephalitis without cutaneous rash was diagnosed. Intrathecal antibody synthesis could be measured when CSF was cleared from viral DNA. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of viral DNA by PCR technique has become the "gold standard" method for laboratory diagnosis of herpesvirus infections of CNS. Serodiagnosis may be useful to confirm the diagnosis retrospectively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Neonatal varicella.

Neonatal varicella is mostly caused by maternal chickenpox acquired during the last 3 weeks of pregnancy. Transplacentally transmitted infections occur in the first 10 to 12 days of life, whereas chickenpox after that time is most likely acquired by postnatal infection. If the mother develops rash between days 4 and 5 antepartum to day 2 postpartum, generalized neonatal varicella leading to death occurs in up to 20% of affected cases. Neonatal chickenpox within the first 4 days after birth has usually been found to be mild. A fatal outcome has been reported in 23% of cases if neonatal chickenpox occurs between 5 and 10 to 12 days of age. Serological methods have been widely used to confirm clinical diagnosis. For rapid virological diagnostics, amplification of viral DNA in skin swabs by polymerase chain reaction is the method of choice. To prevent severe neonatal chickenpox, passive immunization is indicated. If varicella occurs, acyclovir treatment has to be administered promptly.

Acyclovir↗
PubMed2000

Seroprevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in selected German populations-relevance for the incidence of genital herpes.

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of antibodies to herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2) in selected German populations, such as blood donors, hospital patients, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive individuals. Serum samples collected between 1996 and 1998 were tested by enzyme immunoassays using monoclonal antibody-selected native gG1 and gG2 as antigens and an immunoblot using type-specific recombinant glycoproteins. Equivocal results were resolved by an "in-house" Western blot assay. The prevalence of HSV-1 antibodies increased steadily with age and reached high levels of >/=88% among subjects 40 years of age or older. In the sample of patients and blood donors, the HSV-2 seroprevalence was 12.8% (95% CI = 11.9-13.8%). About 81% of the HSV-2 seropositive subjects were coinfected with HSV-1. When adjusted for age, there was no difference in the HSV-2 seroprevalence between hospital patients and blood donors. The HSV-2 seroprevalence was significantly higher among women (15%) than among men (10.5%), yielding a female : male odds ratio of 1.5 for hospital patients and of 1.67 for blood donors. Among the HIV-infected population, 91.1% were seropositive for HSV-1 and 47.9% for HSV-2. HIV-infected women have a significantly higher risk of HSV-2 infection than men (odds ratio [OR] = 3.22; 95% confidence ratio [CI] 1.99-5.20). In conclusion, although the rate of infections with HSV-2 is relatively low in the German population, attention should be given to the further development in adolescents, especially in view of a possible decrease of HSV-1 seroprevalence in childhood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Congenital skin lesions caused by intrauterine infection with coxsackievirus B3.

BACKGROUND: Serious neonatal coxsackievirus infections transplacentally acquired in late pregnancy involve primarily the central nervous system, heart, liver and rarely the skin. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A boy born with a disseminated papulovesicular, nodular, bullous and necrotic ulcerated rash at 39 weeks gestational age developed pneumonia, carditis and hepatitis during the first days after birth. Molecular biological and serological methods were used for virological diagnosis. RESULTS: Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) was found in throat swabs and/or feces of the neonate and his mother. In addition, there was serological evidence of intrauterine infection. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine transmission of CVB3 during late pregnancy may lead to varicella-like congenital skin lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Virological diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis.

BACKGROUND: The herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) represents one of the most severe infectious diseases of the central nervous system. As effective antiviral drugs are available, rapid and reliable diagnosis has become important. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate retrospectively the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as well as serological procedures for the diagnosis of HSE. STUDY DESIGN: 631 cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) from patients with clinical suspicion of encephalitis were tested for type-specific herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA using PCR. Virus-specific antibodies including their intrathecal synthesis were measured in 624 CSF and 2409 serum samples of 2711 patients suspected of having encephalitis. RESULTS: Positive results were obtained by PCR in eight patients (1. 3%) for HSV-1 and in seven (1.1%) for HSV-2. Intrathecal antibody synthesis was estimated in 24 (3.8%) patients. In general, no intrathecal antibodies could be measured in patients with positive PCR results and vice versa the intrathecal immune response became positive when CSF was cleared from the HSV. Results of the antibody detection in serum specimens revealed an active HSV infection in 268 out of 2367 patients (11.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The detection of HSV-DNA by PCR is the method of choice for diagnosis of HSE in the early phase of the disease. During the later stage, it has to be diagnosed by the estimation of intrathecally synthesized antibodies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The congenital varicella syndrome.

Maternal varicella during the first two trimesters of pregnancy may cause the congenital varicella syndrome (CVS). After infection in the first 20 weeks' gestation, the incidence is estimated to be about 2%. To date, nearly 100 infants born with signs of CVS have been reported in the literature, more than three quarters of them during the last two decades. The characteristic symptoms consist of skin lesions in dermatomal distribution (76%), neurologic defects (60%), eye diseases (51%), and skeletal anomalies (49%). About 30% of infants born with these lesions died in the first months of life. The diagnosis of CVS should be established by the appearance of maternal varicella, the presence of typical clinical symptoms as well as the laboratory evidence of in utero varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. In the reviewed infants, intrauterine VZV-infection has been proved in about 60%. Passive immunization may reduce the risk of fetal infection but there is no evidence to prevent fetal viremia. Up to now, there are no controlled studies concerning antiviral chemotherapy in preventing CVS.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed2000

Virucidal efficacy of a combination of 0.2% peracetic acid and 80% (v/v) ethanol (PAA-ethanol) as a potential hand disinfectant.

The formulation PAA-ethanol, consisting of 0.2% paracetic acid (PAA) and 80% ethanol, was tested for its virucidal activity on the enveloped vaccinia virus and papova virus SV 40 and the non-enveloped adenovirus type 2 and poliovirus type 1. All test viruses were inactivated by PAA-ethanol within an exposure time of 1 minute, as measured by a log(10)reduction of 4 in virus titres. It was shown that poliovirus type 1 can be inactivated by PAA-ethanol within 1 min, whilst for the aqueous 0.2% PAA solution, an exposure time of 5 min is necessary. As shown by electron microscopic observation, the structure of virus particles was completely destroyed by 0.2% PAA within 15 min. The broad antimicrobial spectrum including a high virucidal activity, short exposure time and no toxic or allergenic decomposition products are favourable prerequisites for the medical use of PAA-ethanol and it warrants further investigation as a hand disinfectant.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1999

[Virologic diagnosis of herpes zoster].

Diagnosis of herpes zoster needs to be rapid when effective antiviral chemotherapy is being considered. Patients with atypical clinical features can often only be diagnosed by virological methods. In the present study, vesicle specimens of 100 patients with zoster were analysed by detecting viral DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The findings were compared with those obtained by traditional virological and serological methods. PCR results confirmed the clinical diagnosis of zoster in 95%. Primers selected from varicella-zoster virus (VZV) gene 28 proved to be most sensitive. The sensitivity of virus culture was 20% (specificity 100%) and of direct immunofluorescent VZV-specific antigen staining in vesicle samples 82% (specificity 76%). There was a serological response to specific IgM and IgA antibodies in 48% within four days after the onset of rash. These findings suggest that PCR is the method of choice for rapid laboratory diagnosis of zoster.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Laboratory diagnosis of herpes zoster.

Virological diagnosis of zoster should be rapid when effective antiviral chemotherapy is being considered. In the present study, vesicle specimens of 100 patients with zoster were analysed by detecting viral DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The findings were compared with those obtained by traditional virological and serological methods. PCR results confirmed the clinical diagnosis of zoster in 95%. Primers selected from varicella-zoster virus (VZV) gene 28 proved to be most sensitive. The sensitivity of virus culture was 20% (specificity 100%), of direct immunofluorescent VZV-specific antigen staining in vesicle samples 82% (specificity 76%), and in 48% there was a serological response to specific IgM and IgA antibodies within 4 days after the onset of rash. These findings suggest that PCR is the method of choice for rapid laboratory diagnosis of zoster.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Varicella-zoster virus infections in pregnancy.

Chickenpox is an uncommon disease in women during pregnancy. If, however, maternal varicella infects the fetus, intrauterine death or severe diseases (congenital or fetal varicella syndrome) may ensue depending on the time of maternal infection. On the basis of our own clinical observations and virological testing we report on 31 women with varicella during pregnancy and their infants. Five neonates born to mothers with varicella between the 8th and 21st week showed clinical signs of the congenital varicella syndrome. Varicella-zoster virus DNA could be detected in different tissues, including lung, liver, skin and adrenal glands. As a consequence of maternal chickenpox within 12 days before delivery, 6 newborn babies developed neonatal varicella. Measures for diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis are discussed.

Antibodies, Viral↗