Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease found in parts of the tropics, subtropics, and southern Europe. It is classified as a neglected tropical disease (NTD). Leishmaniasis is caused by infection with Leishmania parasites, which are spread by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis in people. The most common forms are cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and visceral leishmaniasis, which affects several internal organs (usually the spl

Lassa fever virus is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the virus family Arenaviridae. It is a zoonotic and acute viral illnessspread by the common African rat. First discovered in 1969 in Lassa, Nigeria, it caused two missionary nurses died. About 80% of people infected with Lassa virus have no symptoms. The incubation period of Lassa fever ranges from 621 days. When it is symptomatic,it is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise.Death usually occurs withi

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a flavivirus related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses, and is spread by mosquitoes. JEV is the main cause of viral encephalitis in many countries of Asia with an estimated 68 000 clinical cases every year. Although symptomatic Japanese encephalitis (JE) is rare, the case-fatality rate among those with encephalitis can be as high as 30%. Permanent neurologic or psychiatric sequelae can occur in 30%50% of those with encephalitis. 24 countries in

H5N2 is a subtype of the species Influenzavirus A, which is further classified by subtype on the basis of the two main surface glycoproteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). The subtype H5N2 infects a wide variety of birds, including chickens, ducks, turkeys, falcons, and ostriches. Outbreaks of "high-path" H5N2 result in the culling of thousands of birds in poultry farms from time to time. It appears that people who work with birds can be infected by the virus but suffer hardly a

Hendra virus (HeV) is a member of the family Paramyxoviridae and one of two virus species in the genus Henipavirus (the other being Nipah virus). Transmission of Hendra virus to humans can occur after exposure to body fluids and tissues or excretions of horses infected with Hendra virus. After an incubation of 9-16 days, infection with Hendra virus can lead to respiratory illness with severe flu-like signs and symptoms. Although infection with Hendra virus is rare, the case fatality is hig

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a group of clinically similar illnesses caused by hantaviruses from the family Bunyaviridae. HFRS includes Korean hemorrhagic fever, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, and nephropathia epidemica. The viruses that cause HFRS include Hantaan, Dobrava, Saaremaa,Seoul, and Puumala. Hantaviruses are carried and transmitted by rodents.Symptoms of HFRS usually develop within 1 to 2 weeks after exposure to infectious material. Initial symptoms begin suddenly

Toscana virus is an arthropod-borne virus transmitted by sand flies in Mediterranean countries. Toscana virus infection commonly occurs during the warm season although there are important variations in risk exposure as assessed by seroprevalence rates ranging from 1% to 45% in human populations. In southwestern Europe, Toscana virus infection accounts for the most frequent cause of aseptic meningitis, together with enteroviruses and herpesviruses. Mortality is exceptional, but the neuro-inv

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an important cause of viral infections of the central nervous system in eastern, central, northern and increasingly western European countries and northern China, Mongolia, and the Russian Federation. Tick-borne encephalitis virus is a member of the family Flaviviridae. The vast majority of infections with the virus result from infected ticks, which often remain firmly attached to the skin for days. On rare occasions, the infection can result from the consum

Sindbis virus (SINV) is an enveloped RNA virus of the genus Alphavirus in the virus family Togaviridae. Sindbis virus is related to Chikungunya alphavirus. Sindbis virus was first isolated from Culex mosquitoes in 1952 in the Nile river delta in Egypt. The first human cases were described in Uganda in 1961, South Africa in 1963, and Australia in 1967. The virus was subsequently acknowledged as the causative agent of a rash-arthritis syndrome. The clinical disease caused by SINV infection is kn

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate in humans, which is caused by a novel bunyavirus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), is tick-borne and endemic in Eastern Asia. The Bioperfectus Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus Real Time PCR Kit is an in vitro diagnostic test, based on real-time PCR technology, for the detection of RNA from the Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome V