Stock Photo - 07 September 2022, Saxony, Mölbis Bei Leipzig: In the Medical Microbiology Laboratory, research associate Silke Uhrlaß is working on a PCR approach to identify viral infections. Pipetting DNA samples into fungal tubes for the mycological assessment of skin samples from children and adolescents from all over Germany for the identification of various skin fungi is also part of her work. Infections of the skin and scalp by zoophilic pathogens have increased significantly during the Corona epidemic and the lockdown. This is due to the pet boom, including purchases of guinea pigs, which are potential sources of infection for skin fungi. In cooperation with dermatologists from India, the Netherlands, the USA and the Czech Republic, among other countries, the scientists in the Mölbis laboratory are also investigating more frequently occurring antimycotic-resistant skin fungi, which are also spreading in Germany with a new genotype. Photo: Waltraud Grubitzsch/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB. - Mölbis Bei Leipzig/Saxony/Germany