Publications by authors named "Stella Kalaitzopoulou"
Article Synopsis
- Greece was significantly impacted by the West Nile virus (WNV) in 2022, particularly in Central Macedonia, which accounted for 81.5% of reported human cases.
- A study collected over 30,000 Culex pipiens mosquitoes from the region, testing 690 pools for WNV, and found a 5.9% infection rate with variations across different areas and months.
- The WNV detected belonged to the Central European subclade of lineage 2, showing slight genetic differences from the strain identified in Greece in 2010, highlighting the importance of mosquito monitoring for early virus detection and understanding its evolution.
Article Synopsis
- Since 2010, the West Nile virus (WNV) has been causing annual outbreaks in Greece, particularly affecting human health from May to October.
- Between 2019 and 2021, over 51,000 Culex pipiens mosquitoes were collected in Central Macedonia, with 5% testing positive for WNV, showing varying infection rates across different regions and years.
- Whole genome sequencing of 16 virus strains revealed that the WNV lineage 2, introduced in 2019, continued to circulate, providing important data for public health strategies and mosquito control efforts.
West Nile virus is a flavivirus transmitted to humans mainly by mosquito bites. Outbreaks are observed in several European countries, and Greece is one of the most affected countries during the recent years. Thessaly was one of the most affected regions in Greece in 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * West Nile virus (WNV) was found in 10 out of 229 mosquito pools, with a minimum infection rate of 0.57, particularly high in Thessaloniki where human cases were reported.
- * The detection of WNV in mosquitoes occurred two weeks before the first human case, indicating that monitoring mosquito populations could help detect and prevent outbreaks.
Climate can affect the geographic and seasonal patterns of vector-borne disease incidence such as West Nile Virus (WNV) infections. We explore the association between climatic factors and the occurrence of West Nile fever (WNF) or West Nile neuro-invasive disease (WNND) in humans in Northern Greece over the years 2010-2014. Time series over a period of 30 years (1979-2008) of climatic data of air temperature, relative humidity, soil temperature, volumetric soil water content, wind speed, and precipitation representing average climate were obtained utilising the ECMWF's (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) system allowing for a homogeneous set of data in time and space.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMosquitoes of the genus Aedes are known vectors of pathogenic flaviviruses, and insect-specific flaviviruses (ISFs) have been detected in members of this genus in numerous parts of the world. In order to gain insight into whether Aedes mosquitoes in Greece are infected by flaviviruses, 1173 Aedes spp. mosquitoes collected in 2010 and 2012 were grouped in 53 pools and tested by RT nested PCR using flavivirus generic primers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- West Nile virus (WNV) was detected in Culex mosquitoes in central Macedonia, Greece, starting in 2010, raising concerns about human cases correlating with mosquito infection.
- In 2013, researchers collected over 25,000 mosquitoes and found that 4.4% of them tested positive for flavivirus, with WNV lineage 2 present in 3.1% of the pools.
- The results indicate that WNV is now established in Greece, and early detection in mosquitoes can serve as a warning system for potential human infections.
In the summer of 2010 an epidemic of West Nile virus (WNV) occurred in Central Macedonia, Greece, with 197 human neuroinvasive disease (WNND) cases. In the following years the virus spread to new areas, with a total of 76 WNND cases in 2011, and 109 WNND cases in 2012 (14 and 12 WNND cases, respectively, in Central Macedonia). We established a surveillance system based on serological testing of domestic pigeons, using cELISA confirmed by serum neutralization test.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDetection of West Nile virus lineage 2 in Culex mosquitoes, Greece, 2012.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis
September 2013
To gain insight into the strain(s) causing human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in Greece in 2012, mosquitoes were collected and tested for probable WNV infection. WNV lineage 2 sequences were obtained from two of 14 Culex spp. pools collected in Xanthi Prefecture, and especially in the municipality with the highest incidence in Greece.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpidemics of West Nile virus (WNV) occurred for two consecutive years in Greece (in 2010 and 2011). A total of 16,116 adult Culex pipiens mosquitoes collected in two peripheries, Central Macedonia and Thessaly, were tested for WNV infection. WNV lineage 2 was detected in 6/296 mosquito pools, three in each year.
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