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Trypanosomiases are diseases caused by various species of protozoan parasite in the genus Trypanosoma, each presenting with distinct clinical manifestations and prognoses. Infections can affect multiple organs, with Trypanosomacruzipredominantly affecting the heart and digestive system, leading to American trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease, and Trypanosomabruceiprimarily causing a disease of the central nervous system known as human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness. In this Review, we discuss the effects of these infections on the heart, with particular emphasis on Chagas disease, which continues to be a leading cause of cardiomyopathy in Latin America. The epidemiology of Chagas disease has changed substantially since 1990 owing to the emigration of over 30 million Latin American citizens, primarily to Europe and the USA. This movement of people has led to the global dissemination of individuals infected with T. cruzi. Therefore, cardiologists worldwide must familiarize themselves with Chagas disease and the severe, chronic manifestation — Chagas cardiomyopathy — because of the expanded prevalence of this disease beyond traditional endemic regions.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) is a new technique to detect changes in the human retina. The autofluorescence decay over time, generated by endogenous fluorophores, is measured in vivo. The strong autofluorescence of the crystalline lens, however, superimposes the intensity decay of the retina fluorescence, as the confocal principle is not able to suppress it sufficiently. Thus, the crystalline lens autofluorescence causes artifacts in the retinal fluorescence lifetimes determined from the intensity decays. Here, we present a new technique to suppress the autofluorescence of the crystalline lens by introducing an annular stop into the detection light path, which we call Schweitzer’s principle. The efficacy of annular stops with an outer diameter of 7 mm and inner diameters of 1 to 5 mm are analyzed in an experimental setup using a model eye based on fluorescent dyes. Compared to the confocal principle, Schweitzer’s principle with an inner diameter of 3 mm is able to reduce the simulated crystalline lens fluorescence to 4%, while 42% of the simulated retina fluorescence is preserved. Thus, we recommend the implementation of Schweitzer’s principle in scanning laser ophthalmoscopes used for fundus autofluorescence measurements, especially the FLIO device, for improved image quality.

Die häufigsten Hautläsionen bei Tropenrückkehrern sind Insektenstichreaktionen, bakterielle Hautinfektionen, die kutane Larva migrans und allergische Reaktionen. Der folgende Artikel möchte diese häufigsten dermatologischen Erkrankungen vorstellen und jeweils die differentialdiagnostischen Überlegungen erläutern, wobei besonders auf Krankheiten eingegangen wird, die der praktische Arzt nicht verpassen sollte. Dabei müssen vor allem Infektionen durch einen Methicillin-resistenten Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), ein Hautschanker bei Rickettsiose oder Schlafkrankheit, eine kutane Leishmaniose oder Wurmerkrankungen, die sich nicht auf die Haut beschränken, ausgeschlossen werden.