[Slowly progressive joint destruction in an older man as expression of hydroxyapatite disease. Case report and literature review]. / Langsam progrediente Gelenkzerstörung bei einem älteren Mann als Ausdruck einer Hydroxylapatiterkrankung. Fallbericht und Literaturübersicht.

This article reports the case of a 75-year-old male patient presenting with arthralgia of the large joints that had existed for 10 years. Clinically, bursitis of the right elbow joint was found. Laboratory tests showed elevated inflammatory markers and imaging revealed erosive joint destruction. A surgical bursectomy was performed. Histologically, hydroxyapatite crystals were detected in alizarin red S staining and a crystal arthropathy was diagnosed. The diagnostics are difficult since crystals can only be detected by electron microscopy or special staining methods.

A case of autochthonous human Dirofilaria infection, Germany, March 2014.

In March 2014, an infection with the nematode Dirofilaria repens was diagnosed in a German citizen in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt. The patient had developed an itching subcutaneous nodule containing a female worm, which was identified as D. repens by 12S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequencing. Autochthonous human D. repens infections have not been described in Germany so far, but this finding is consistent with the recent detection of D. repens in mosquitoes from east Germany.