At the beginning of the 1980-ies, HIV infection and AIDS were described for the first time, this among the population of men who have sex with other men. Nearly thirty years later, the MSM population is still a population under heightened risk for acquiring HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. This study investigates sexually transmitted diseases as a risk for HIV infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Microbiol Immunol Hung
June 2015
During 2011-2012, a total of 1008 serum samples from randomly selected inhabitants of seven Croatian counties located on the Adriatic Coast were tested for the presence of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) IgG antibodies using indirect immunofluorescence assay. Nine participants (0.9%) from four counties were found to be seropositive to CHIKV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring 2011-2012, a total of 1,180 sera samples were collected from residents of seven Croatian counties located on the Adriatic Coast and four counties in northeastern Croatia and tested for the presence of dengue virus (DENV) IgG antibodies using ELISA. Reactive samples were further tested by IFA. Seven samples (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis is a retrospective study using the test-negative case-control method to estimate seasonal 2010-2011 influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) in Croatia. Of patients consulting a physician for influenza-like illness (ILI) and for whom a swab was taken, we compared RT-PCR influenza-positive and RT-PCR influenza-negative patients. We used a structured questionnaire and physicians' records to obtain information on vaccination status and potential confounders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding the country-specific epidemiology of disease, which may vary greatly among countries, is crucial for identifying the most appropriate preventive and control measures. An overview of the local epidemiology of viral hepatitis in Croatia is given in this paper. The overall prevalence of hepatitis B in Croatia is low (less than 2% HBsAg carriers in the general population).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: We report on first evidence of simultaneous occurrence of West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) neuroinvasive infection in humans in Croatia during the transmission season 2013.
Methods: From June to December 2013, a total of 95 patients with clinically suspected WNV infection (WNV fever and neuroinvasive disease) were tested for WNV IgM/IgG antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Twenty-six reactive samples were further tested by virus neutralization test for confirmation.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis
January 2014
Between September 6 and 21, 2012, seven human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) neuroinvasive infection were laboratory confirmed in Croatia. The median patient age was 62 years (range 48-77). Five patients presented with meningoencephalitis and two patients with meningoencephalitis followed by acute flaccid paralysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWest Nile virus (WNV) is a small, enveloped, spherical virus that belongs to the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, Japanese encephalitis serocomplex. Natural reservoirs of WNV are birds, and the main vectors are mosquitoes of the genus Culex. There are seven genetic lineages of WNV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report the first serological evidence of Usutu virus (USUV) infection in horses in Croatia. During 2011, 1380 horse serum samples from healthy animals were collected from six northern Croatian counties. All samples were first screened for West Nile virus (WNV) immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe last comprehensive publication on tuberculosis in Croatia and the earliest impact of war, besides the yearly routine reports, was done in 1996 in Croatian. We were, therefore, interested to explore incidence trends and to highlight the early post-war tuberculosis epidemiological patterns in the next ten years period (1996-2005). A retrospective analysis of epidemiological data on all registered tuberculosis cases in Croatia searching the databases of 21 Croatian Public Health Institutes and the National Tuberculosis Registry was made.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in a childcare centre in a district of Zagreb county, north-west Croatia. A total of eleven cases of HFMD occurred in the childcare centre and another nine were reported from nearby areas in the district. Coxsackie A16 virus was diagnosed in 13 clinical specimens obtained from 11 symptomatic and asymptomatic children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfter information about a dengue case in Germany acquired in Croatia, health professionals and the public in Croatia were alerted to assess the situation and to enhance mosquito control, resulting in the diagnosis of a second case of autochthonous dengue fever in the same area and the detection of 15 persons with evidence of recent dengue infection. Mosquito control measures were introduced. The circumstances of dengue virus introduction to Croatia remain unresolved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe excretion of measles vaccine strain Schwarz in a child who developed a febrile rash illness eight days after primary immunisation against measles, mumps and rubella. Throat swabs and urine specimens were collected on the fifth and sixth day of illness, respectively. Genotyping demonstrated measles vaccine strain Schwarz (genotype A).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report an outbreak of measles in Croatia, involving 49 cases with onset of symptoms between end of April and June 2008. Cases occurred in Zagreb and Slavonski Brod but investigations indicated a common epidemiological link between these two geographically separate regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study was conducted with the aim of obtaining the very first information on the sexual risk behavior of Croatian men who have sex with men (MSM). There were 1127 respondents recruited at four venues: three physical meeting places of the Croatian MSM population (disco club, bar and sauna) in Zagreb and one virtual (gay oriented web-site) meeting place of the Croatian MSM population. The overall response rate was only 19%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report on three cases of symptomatic transmission of the L-Zagreb mumps vaccine virus from three vaccinated children to five adult contacts. The five contact cases were parents of the vaccinated children and presented with parotitis and in one case also with aseptic meningitis. The etiology of the contacts' illness was determined by viral culture, genomic sequencing, serology and epidemiological linking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWith emergence of MHC class I tetramers loaded with CD8+ T-cell viral epitopes, it is possible to study virus-specific CD8 cells in humans during infection and after vaccination. MHC class I tetramers was used to detect the frequency of haemagglutinin (HA)-specific T cells in 26 healthy influenza-vaccinated humans. Peripheral blood was collected before, and 7, 14 and 28 days after vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this paper legal prerequisites for vaccine licensure in Croatia are discussed. The Croatian legislation concerning vaccine licensing, marketing authorisation and utilization is reviewed. The procedures for including a vaccine into the Mandatory Childhood Vaccination Programme are also discussed with focus on Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrichinellosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease caused by a nematode Trichinella sp. Cases of Trichinella spiralis infection in Slavonski Brod were investigated. A total of 64 trichinellosis cases were notified to the Institute of Public Health, Brod-Posavska County between October and November 2004.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after exposure to extreme traumatic experience such as war trauma, and is accompanied by fear, helplessness or horror. Exposure to trauma can result in immune dysregulation and influence susceptibility to infectious disease as well as vaccine efficacy. The aim of the study was to determine the relation of psychological stress and the immune response to influenza vaccination in combat-related PTSD patients (n = 28).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article presents an overview of HIV/AIDS epidemiology and surveillance in Croatia 20 years after the first documented case of AIDS in the country. Here we describe strategies employed for HIV/AIDS surveillance in Croatia as well as preliminary results of HIV seroprevalence among most-at-risk populations (MARPs) research conducted by the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Service at the Croatian National Institute of Public Health (CNIPH). Croatia has a low incidence and prevalence of HIV and AIDS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTwo mumps virus strains 9218/Zg98 and Du/CRO05 were isolated in two locations in Croatia in 1998 and 2005, respectively. Genetic characterization of these temporally distinct mumps virus isolates was carried out in order to determine their genotype and putative antigenic relatedness to mumps virus vaccine strains. Sequence analysis of the small hydrophobic (SH) gene revealed that isolate 9218/Zg98 shows less than 95% of similarity to any reference strain, thus representing a potential reference strain for a new genotype.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To examine the role of wind in the spread of Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) from the source of infection (sheep on the pastures) to the factory where there was an outbreak of Q fever among the employees.
Methods: We performed clinical (fever, coughing, myalgias, arthralgias), laboratory (complete blood test, aminotransferases, antibodies to Coxiella burnetii), radiographic (chest X-ray), and epidemiological (questionnaire) analysis on 47 of 110 employees of the plant in a suburb of Zadar. Sera of 182 sheep were tested for antibody to C.
Viral epidemiology is determined by the movement of infected people within and between geographical areas. The genetic characterization of wild-type isolates combined with standard epidemiological methods may enable the identification of the source and transmission pathways and permit differentiation between indigenous and imported viruses. We investigated the genetic characteristics of the wild-type measles virus isolated in Croatia during a 2003-2004 outbreak.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn an adaptive immune response, antigen is recognized by two distinct sets of highly variable receptor molecules: (1) immunoglobulins, that serve as antigen receptors on B cells and (2) the antigen-specific receptors on T cells. T cells play important role in the control of infection and in the development of protective immunity. These cells can also mediate anti-tumor effects and, in case of autoimmune syndromes, contribute to the development and pathology of disease.
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