Purpose SARS-CoV-2 is a recently emerged ß-coronavirus. Here we present the current knowledge on its epidemiologic features. Methods Non-systematic review. Results SARS-CoV-2 replicates in the upper and lower respiratory tract. It is mainly transmitted by droplets and aerosols from asymptomatic and symptomatic infected subjects. The consensus estimate for the basis reproduction number (R0) is between 2 and 3, and the median incubation period is 5.7 (range 2–14) days. Similar to SARS and MERS, superspreading events have been reported, the dispersion parameter (kappa) is estimated at 0.1. Most infections are uncomplicated, and 5–10% of patients are hospitalized, mainly due to pneumonia with severe inflammation. Complications are respiratory and multiorgan failure; risk factors for complicated disease are higher age, hypertension, diabetes, chronic cardiovascular, chronic pulmonary disease and immunodeficiency. Nosocomial and infections in medical personnel have been reported. Drastic reductions of social contacts have been implemented in many countries with outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2, leading to rapid reductions. Most interventions have used bundles, but which of the measures have been more or less effective is still unknown. The current estimate for the infection’s fatality rate is 0.5–1%. Using current models of age-dependent infection fatality rates, upper and lower limits for the attack rate in Germany can be estimated between 0.4 and 1.6%, lower than in most European countries. Conclusions Despite a rapid worldwide spread, attack rates have been low in most regions, demonstrating the efficacy of control measures.

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Human cysticercosis caused by Taenia crassiceps tapeworm larvae involves the muscles and subcutis mostly in immunocompromised patients and the eye in immunocompetent persons. We report a successfully treated cerebellar infection in an immunocompetent woman. We developed serologic tests, and the parasite was identified by histologic examination and 12s rDNA PCR and sequencing.

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aHand hygiene is one of the most important interventions for reducing transmission of nosocomial lifethreatening microorganisms, like methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) or Candida albicans. All three pathogens have become a leading cause of infections in hospitals. Especially EHEC is causing severe diarrhoea and, in a small percentage of cases, haemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) as reported for E. coli 104:H4 in Germany 2011. We revealed the possibility to inactivate very fast and efficiently MRSA, EHEC and C. albicans using the photodynamic approach.MRSA, EHEC and C. albicans were incubated in vitro with different concentrations of TMPyP for 10 s and illuminated with visible light (50 mW cm TMPyP on ex vivo porcine skin, fluorescence microscopy of histology showed that the photosensitizer was exclusively localized in the stratum corneum regardless of the incubation time. TMPyP exhibited a fast and very effective killing rate of life-threatening pathogens within a couple of seconds that encourages further testing in an in vivo setting. Being fast and effective, antimicrobial photodynamic applications might become acceptable as a tool for hand hygiene procedures and also in other skin areas.