Pretransplantation prevalence of human herpes virus 8 antibodies in kidney donors and recipients in Athens, Greece

Aim. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anti-human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) antibodies in a cohort of renal donors and recipients in Athens, Greece. HHV8, the etiological agent of posttransplantation Kaposi’s sarcoma, causes significant morbidity and mortality. Methods. Serum samples from 97 subjects (49 donors and 48 recipients) were tested with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) prior to renal transplantation. Results. Only 2 subjects (both transplant recipients) were found to be anti-HHV8-positive. Both subjects were of Albanian origin. Conclusion. Infection with HHV8 appears to be limited in the Greek population. However, in light of significant long-term morbidity with which HHV8 is related in immunocompromized patients, studies on the general population are needed to estimate the prevalence of HHV8 infection in the country and devise clear guidelines for pretransplantation screening and posttransplantation follow-up

Campylobacter fetus bacteraemia in a healthy individual: clinical and therapeutical implications

Campylobacter species are well-recognized common causes of gastrointestinal infections. White Campylobacter jejuni is probably the most common Campylobacter isolated in humans, Campylobacter fetus is rather infrequent and mostly related with bacteraemia. Even on such occasions, it seems that immunocompetent individuals are spared. We report a case of C. fetus bacteraemia in a healthy-except for impaired fasting glucose (IFG) levels-farmer, presenting as an acute febrile syndrome and treated successfully as brucellosis. (C) 2005 The British Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Paucity of Sjogren-like syndrome in a cohort of HIV-1-positive patients in the HAART era. Part II

Objective. This study was performed in order to investigate the prevalence of Sjogren-like syndrome (SLS) in the highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) era in a cohort of HIV-1-positive Greek patients. Methods. One hundred and thirty-one unselected patients were screened by the validated European Union (EU) criteria for Sjogren’s syndrome. Of the 31 who gave a positive EU-validated questionnaire, 17 consented to undergo minor salivary gland biopsy and other tests. Results. Only two patients had a positive salivary gland biopsy and both belonged to the non-compliant HAART group, whereas none of the compliant HAART patients had histological findings. Conclusions. It is concluded that SLS, the prevalence of which in the pre-HAART era was 7.8%, has disappeared, possibly as a result of the protective action of HAART

Eosinophilic granuloma of the femur in an HIV-1-positive patient

A case of eosinophilic granuloma in the right femur of an HIV-1-infected patient is described, and the possible pathogenetic role of HIV infection in eosinophilic granuloma formation is discussed

Human herpesvirus-8 seropositivity and clinical correlations in HIV-1-positive and highly exposed, persistently HIV-seronegative individuals in Greece

The prevalence of anti-human herpesvirus 8 (HHV- 8) antibodies was retrospectively assessed in a cohort of 248 consecutive HIV-1-positive patients followed up in an academic unit in Greece during a 14-year period and in 46 highly exposed, persistently HIV-seronegative (HEPS) individuals. The impact of the initial anti-HHV-8 status on tumorgenesis and mortality was studied. The first available serum sample from the department’s pool was tested. Demographics and data regarding history of sexually transmitted diseases, Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) and hepatitis C (HCV) status were collected. Patients who developed either HHV-8-related or non-HHV-8-related neoplasms during long-term follow-up were also identified. Forty-eight percent of the HIV-1-positive patients and 56% of the HEPS subjects were found anti-HHV-8-positive. No difference was observed regarding the development of HHV-8-related or non-HHV-8-related neoplasia and mortality on grounds of initial anti-HHV- 8 status. Mortality was positively associated with the presence of HBsAg. HCV infection showed a trend to be more common in anti-HHV-8-positive patients. In summary, the seroprevalence of HHV-8 among HIV-1- positive patients is higher than the one reported in the Western world. The initial anti-HHV-8 status is not a prognostic factor in HIV-1- positive individuals. The high seroprevalence in HEPS individuals possibly reflects their risk- prone lifestyle. HbsAg-positive status is a long- term negative prognostic factor in HIV infection

Extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma presenting as a soft tissue mass in the proximal femur in a HIV(+) patient

Primary soft tissue non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) are very rare especially among HIV-1 infected patients. We describe a patient with HIV-1 infection who presented with acute pain of the right proximal femur. The clinical and laboratory investigation revealed a high grade centroblastic B-cell lymphoma of soft tissue. The patient was treated by surgical resection of the tumor, chemotherapy and local radiotherapy with no serious side effects. After 36 months of follow up he is in excellent clinical condition, with his lymphoma in complete remission