Unerkannte akut-letale infektionen: Ursachen plötzlicher todesfälle im erwachsenenalter

Non-diagnosed infectious diseases are occasionally the cause of sudden and unexpected death. Depending on the pathogenicity of the causative organism and the immune status of the affected individual, every infectious disease can lead to sudden death. In unclear cases of death, regulations concerning the prevention of infectious diseases attach great importance to the medico-legal autopsy for determination of the cause of death. Exemplarily, five cases of sudden unexpected death where a medico-legal autopsy was carried out to confirm or to rule out an infectious disease are presented. Furthermore, the importance of a prompt postmortem examination and of further examinations is emphasised.