Assessment of Antibody Responses in Local and Immigrant Residents of Areas with Autochthonous Malaria Transmission in Greece

Evangelia-Theofano Piperaki Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Maria Mavrouli Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Maria Tseroni Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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John Routsias Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Athina Kallimani Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Lamprini Veneti Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Maria Georgitsou Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Maria Chania Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Theano Georgakopoulou Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Christos Hadjichristodoulou Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Athanassios Tsakris Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece; General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece

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Greece has been officially malaria free since 1974. However, from 2009 to 2012, several locally acquired, cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria were detected, in immigrants and in Greek citizens. In this study, the antibody (Ab) response of Greeks and immigrants with documented malaria was initially assessed, followed by an Ab screening of Greeks and immigrant residents of local transmission areas. Of the 38 patients tested, 10.5% of Greeks and 15.7% of immigrants were positive 5–7 months after infection. Of the 1,019 individuals from various areas of Greece, including those of autochthonous transmission, 85 of the 721 (11.8%) immigrants were positive, whereas all 298 Greeks were negative. The rapid Ab titer decline observed is reasonable, given the non-endemic epidemiological setting. The seroepidemiological findings indicate that the local Greek population remains malaria naive and that at this point Greeks are unlikely to serve as reservoir for the infection of local mosquitoes.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Athanasios Tsakris, 75 Mikras Asias Street, 11527 Athens, Greece. E-mails: atsakris@med.uoa.gr or athantsakris@yahoo.com

Financial support: The study was conducted in the context of the integrated surveillance and control program for West Nile Virus and malaria in Greece (MALWEST Project), which is implemented through the Operational Program entitled “Human Resources Development” of National Strategic Reference Framework” (NSRF) 2007–2013. The program is co-funded by Greece and the European Union—European Regional Development Fund.

Authors' addresses: Evangelia-Theofano Piperaki, Maria Mavrouli, John Routsias, and Athanassios Tsakris, Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece, E-mails: epiper@med.uoa.gr, mmavrouli@med.uoa.gr, jroutsias@med.uoa.gr, and atsakris@med.uoa.gr. Maria Tseroni, Athina Kallimani, Lamprini Veneti, and Theano Georgakopoulou, Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDCP), Athens, Greece, E-mails: tseroni@keelpno.gr, akalliman@yahoo.gr, veneti@keelpno.gr, and georgakopoulou@keelpno.gr. Maria Georgitsou and Maria Chania, General Hospital of Sparti, Sparti, Greece, E-mails: pmas42@otenet.gr and mchania8@gmail.com. Christos Hadjichristodoulou, Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece, E-mail: xhatzi@med.uth.gr.

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