Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
United Press International - May 19, 2009
Those travelling abroad should take seriously advice to pack their condoms and keep any needles to themselves, a virologist in Greece advises.
Dr. Dimitrios Paraskevis, a virologist at the National Retrovirus Reference Center at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, says tourists, travelers and migrants from Greece, Portugal, Serbia and Spain actively export HIV-1 subtype B to other European nations.
An international team of scientists used samples from 17 European countries to construct a viral phylogeography -- a geographic pattern of genetic information taken from viruses at a number of locations that track how and when it spread.
No significant exporting migration of HIV-1 subtype B was observed in Austria, Poland and Luxembourg. However, Greece, Portugal, Serbia and Spain were a source of subtype B to other countries.
The study, published in the journal Retrovirology, found the virus spread widely from Greece and Spain to seven and five target countries respectively. Other countries had narrower targets, with Italy exporting HIV to Austria, and Portugal passing the virus primarily to Luxembourg -- some 13 percent of Luxembourg's population is Portuguese.
Other nations such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg showed only limited export of HIV-1 subtype B, while for Italy, Israel, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Britain the authors inferred significant bidirectional migration. No significant migration was found in Poland.
Reference: Paraskevis, D., et al. Tracing the HIV-1 subtype B mobility in Europe: a phylogeographic approach. Retrovirology 2009, 6:49 (20 May 2009)
090519
UP090509
Copyright © 2009 - United Press International. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through United Press International, Permissions Desk, 1510 H St. N.W. Washington DC 2005. Main Phone Switchboard: 202-898-8000 FAX: 202-898-8057 or 202-898-8147 Email: info@upi.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2009. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2009. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .