Phenotypic assessment of Neisseria meningitidis isolates obtained from patients with invasive meningococcal disease in Greece, 1993-2003: implications for serogroup B vaccines based on PorA serosubtype antigens.

Serogroup B is the major isolate from patients with invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Greece. This study used the whole cell enzyme-linked immuosorbent assay (ELISA) with monoclonal antibodies to screen Neisseria meningitidis isolates obtained from patients with IMD between 1993 and 2003 to determine if serosubtypes included in the hexavalent Por A OMP vaccines being tested in northern Europe were prevalent in Greece. During this period there were significant changes in the proportions of serogroups B and C isolated from patients.

Incidence of toxoplasmosis in 5532 pregnant women in Crete, Greece: management of 185 cases at risk.

Objectives: To study the incidence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women in Crete and to test a designed protocol for handling those at risk of delivering congenitally infected infants.

Study Design: Pregnant women were screened serologically over a period of 5 years. Cases with suspected acute toxoplasmosis were treated, peripheral blood (PB), and amniotic fluid (AF) tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture, and fetuses monitored by ultrasonography.