Surveillance for hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant women in Greece shows high rates of chronic infection among immigrants and low vaccination-induced protection rates: preliminary results of a single center study.

Epidemiological data on the prevalence of serological markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in pregnant women in Greece are limited. We evaluated the prevalence of HBV serological markers in a multinational population of pregnant women in Athens, Greece. The overall prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) was 4.1% with the highest rates among Albanian immigrants (12%). Relatively low vaccination-induced protection rates (32.5%) were observed, a finding suggesting that surveillance and immunisation programmes targeted at pregnant women are necessary.

Chlamydia trachomatis infections in Greece: first prevalence study using nucleic acid amplification tests.

The present retrospective study was initiated to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and to assess the risk factors for infection in adult women and men presenting to general practitioners, gynecologists, dermatologists, and family-planning centers in Greece. The study was carried out in four different Greek hospital centers using highly sensitive nucleic acid amplification techniques. Altogether, 16,834 women and 1,035 men were enrolled from October 1998 to April 2004. Two types of specimens were collected from each patient: cervical swabs from women, urethral swabs from men, and first-catch urine from women and men. All specimens were examined with the Cobas Amplicor C. trachomatis polymerase chain reaction assay (Roche Molecular Systems, Branchburg, NJ, USA) or the LC x C. trachomatis ligase chain reaction assay (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA). Demographic and behavioral data were collected by clinicians using a standardized questionnaire. A total of 704 (3.9%) patients were infected with C. trachomatis. The prevalence among female patients was 3.5% and that among male patients 11.2%. Among infected patients, 88% were under 30 years of age, 71% reported more than one sexual partner, and 91% reported a new sexual partner within the last year. In conclusion, the prevalence of C. trachomatis infection in Greece is low. Young age and new and multiple sexual partners within the last year were factors consistently associated with an increased risk of chlamydial infection.

Hepatitis B maternal-fetal transmission in Southern Europe.

Screening of pregnant women for hepatitis B surface antigen especially in countries with a high carrier rate as in Southern Europe is absolutely necessary for the control and elimination of the disease. In most Southern European countries screening of pregnant women is highly recommended. In Greece the carrier rate in pregnant women varies between 2.8 and 3.0%. However, only 63.1% of mothers at delivery had been screened before admission to the maternity hospital. To avoid legal problems arising from obligatory screening, educational campaigns, lectures, pamphlets and further measures to increase screening of pregnant women and administering hepatitis B immunoglobulin and vaccine should be taken.

The chromosomes of Muntiacus feae.

The karyotype of a female Muntiacus feae is described. It comprises 13 chromosomes, three submetacentrics, and ten acrocentrics. Chromosome 1 is the sex chromosome. This individual was heterozygous for a Robertsonian translocation between chromosomes 2 and 7.