Apostolos Vantarakis

University of Patras | UP · Department of Public Health

Campylobacter is one of the four most important pathogens that cause foodborne disease in humans, with symptoms as fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. In some cases, the illness can evolve toward more severe pathologies or leads to patient death. The main source of transmission is generally believed to be via contaminated undercooked m...

Clusters of outbreaks or cases of legionellosis have been linked to fountains. The function of fountains, along with their inadequate design and poor sanitation, in combination with the warm Mediterranean climate, can favor the proliferation of Legionella in water systems. Public fountains in Mediterranean cities may pose a significant risk for pub...

Background Although several studies on hepatitis B (HBV), C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been conducted in Greece, little is known on the knowledge level of the Greek population towards these three infections. Our aim was to assess the knowledge level of the adult Greek general population about the HBV, HCV and HIV....

Numerous pathogens are transmitted via food and according to recent surveys, there are millions of incidents recorded in Europe in the last decade. More specific, foodborne pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses can be detected in different stages of production or distribution of a food product. Examples of predominant symptoms c...

COVID-19 has a serious impact on people’s physical health and mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an increasing deterioration of university students’ quality of life and mental health due to several factors. The COVID-19 pandemic forced university students to take online classes, which may have bad impacts on students’ learning. In...

The evaluation of the project for both the intermediate and the final report was based on an internal evaluation conducted by Work Package on Evaluation and on an external evaluation conducted by the Center for Global Health Inequality Research (CHAIN). The project evaluation as based on systematic and continuous monitoring of processes, outputs an...

Background: Greece was recently reclassified from low to medium-risk country in terms of cardiovascular disease, with 27% of cardiovascular deaths attributed to hypercholesterolemia. EMENO nationwide survey (2013-2016) assessed the epidemiology of dyslipidemia in the general population in Greece. Methods: A random sample of adults was drawn by m...

Otitis is an ear inflammation characterized by an accumulation of polluted fluids in the ear, inflating the drum, causing ear pain, and draining the mucous membrane (pus) into the ear canal if the drum is perforated. Swimmer’s otitis, also known as acute external otitis, is a medical condition that frequently affects competitive swimmers. The risk...

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia which often is asymptomatic and undiagnosed. An automated blood pressure (BP) monitor with an algorithm which detects atrial fibrillation with high diagnostic accuracy during routine measurement was used for AF screening in the elderly general population Greece. Design an...

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an increasing deterioration of university students’ quality of life and mental health. COVID-19 pandemic forced university students to take online classes, which may have an impact on students’ education. In addition, students lost many job opportunities because of the pandemic. Faced with unemployment...

COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an increasing deterioration of university students’ quality of life and mental health. We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online interview survey on students at public universities in Greece to better understand the effects of the pandemic on their quality of life and mental health. Three tools were used...

Background Nationwide data on thyroid disease prevalence in Greece is lacking. Using the national health examination survey EMENO data resources, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism and associated risk factors in adults living in Greece. Methods A random sample of the adults (≥18 years) living in Greece was dr...

Hepatitis A (HAV) and Hepatitis E (HEV) considered to be major public health threats worldwide. Although, both infections are more common in developing countries, an increased number of HAV and HEV cases have been reported in developed countries. This systematic review analyzes epidemiological profiles of HAV and HEV in the Mediterranean countries....

Biosensors for sensitive and specific detection of foodborne and waterborne pathogens are particularly valued for their portability, usability, relatively low cost, and real-time or near real-time response. Their application is widespread in several domains, including environmental monitoring. The main limitation of currently developed biosensors i...

Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) is in high demand in the food and drink industries due to its distinct organoleptic properties. With the aim of evaluating the rosemary leaves as drink ingredients, both the essential oil and alcoholic (38%, v/v) extract were studied in terms of chemical composition, genotoxicity, antimicrobial, antiviral, and a...

Background: Although several studies on hepatitis B (HBV), C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been conducted in Greece, little is known on the knowledge level of the Greek population towards these three infections. Our aim was to assess the knowledge level of the adult Greek general population about the HBV, HCV and HIV....

Background: Although several studies on hepatitis B (HBV), C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been conducted in Greece, little is known on the knowledge level of the Greek population towards these three infections. Our aim was to assess the knowledge level of the adult Greek general population about the HBV, HCV and HIV....

Background Food traceability and authentication had become mandatory for food industry and global food trade. Numerous DNA based methods could contribute against food frauds, because of their advantages such as simplicity, accuracy and robustness. The aim of this study was to explore whether unique biological markers for two high valuable and popul...

One of the oldest and most promising applications of natural zeolites (NZs) is in water and wastewater treatment processes. Modified zeolites (MZs), with improved ion exchange and adsorption capacities, have been extensively applied to the removal of pollutants from aqueous solutions. However, the application of MZs in pathogens or indicator organi...

Introduction: The EMENO (National Morbidity and Risk Factors) survey is one of the first and most representative population-based surveys in Greece due to its study design and sampling procedure. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of smoking, secondhand smoking (SHS) and their potential associations with other socioeconomic and unhealthy lifestyl...

In this study, non-targeted ¹H NMR fingerprinting was used in combination with multivariate statistical analyses for the classification of Greek currants based on their geographical origins (Aeghion, Nemea, Kalamata, Zante, and Amaliada). As classification techniques, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysi...

We aimed to assess the self-perceived health status and the presence of chronic diseases of adult Roma living in settlements in Greece, and to explore associated social determinants of health. Data were derived from the Hprolipsis Health Survey. Multivariable regression models were applied. In total, 534 adults, 287 women, and 247 men were recruite...

While there is no evidence of directly linking toxic algal blooms with eutrophication, it is highly potential biotoxins to endanger public health, having toxic algal blooms and red tides in eutrophic waters. Consequently, public health risk is associated with eutrophication through consumption of sea food contaminated with red tide toxins. Toxins c...

Food safety and quality concern increasingly both consumers and the entire food sector involved. The European Union has implemented specific legislation for food products in order to monitor food safety and quality, protecting each country’s culture, history and local economy at the same time. Moreover, Europe’s heritage is being enriched, by estab...

Vaccine hesitancy remains one of the 10 major global threats as per the WHO report in 2019. The aim of the present study is to assess attitudes and perceptions of vaccine hesitant parents in Greece with a view to implementing strategies to increase vaccine uptake. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based prospective survey was conducted between Septem...

Bacteria are commonly found in soil and may cause health risks to children playing in the outdoor playgrounds with soil, mainly via hand to mouth and pica behaviors. Our study concerned with the risk analysis of infection of a child playing in urban playgrounds in the cities of Patras and Pyrgos in Greece. The presence of Escherichia coli, Staphylo...

Essential oils (EOs) and extracts of rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) and petals of rose (Rosa damascena) have been fully characterized in terms of composition, safety, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties. They were analyzed against Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, and Ad...

Background: This study has assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological distress between public sector professional groups. Methods: Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were administered to healthcare personnel, schoolteachers, and municipality and regional personnel in the re...

Food quality and safety had become an increasing issue for quality authorities, food scientists, manufacturers, producers and consumers as well. In the present work, food quality control using bacterial identification isolated from food samples was performed. Greek olives (raw drupes), currants (dry fruits), roe (fish eggs), bacon and “feta” cheese...

COVID-19 pandemic mitigation strategies are mainly based on social distancing measures and healthcare system reinforcement. However, many countries in Europe and elsewhere implemented strict, horizontal lockdowns because of extensive viral spread in the community which challenges the capacity of the healthcare systems. However, strict lockdowns hav...

Background Nationwide data on cardiovascular risk factors prevalence is lacking in Greece. This work presents the findings of the national health examination survey EMENO (2013–2016) regarding the prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obesity and smoking. Methods A random sample of adults (≥18 years) was drawn by multistage s...

Aims To report the results of the first national Health Examination Survey (HES) on the prevalence of diabetes, its pharmacologic treatment and level of control, as well as pre-diabetes in Greece. Methods Data were derived from the National Survey of Morbidity and Risk Factors (EMENO), in a randomly selected, representative sample of the adult Gre...

Objective: The evidence on the epidemiology of hypertension in Greece is limited. The prevalence and control of hypertension was assessed in randomly selected adults of the general population in Greece within the nationwide epidemiological study EMENO. Method: On the basis of 2011 census, EMENO applied a multistage stratified random sampling met...

The emergence of a novel human coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has become a global health concern causing severe respiratory tract infections in humans. Human-to-human transmissions have been described with incubation times between 2-10 days, facilitating its airborne spread via droplets. The impact of environmental factors on the coronavirus disease 2019...

Background Nationwide data on cardiovascular risk factors prevalence is lacking in Greece. This work presents the findings of the national health examination survey EMENO regarding the prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obesity and smoking. Methods A random sample of adults (≥ 18 years) was drawn by multistage stratified r...

Background: Nationwide data on cardiovascular risk factors prevalence is lacking in Greece. This work presents the findings of the national health examination survey EMENO regarding the prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obesity and smoking. Methods: A random sample of adults (≥18 years) was drawn by multistage stratified r...

Background: Nationwide data on cardiovascular risk factors prevalence is lacking in Greece. This work presents the findings of the national health examination survey EMENO (2013-2016) regarding the prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obesity and smoking. Methods: A random sample of adults (≥18 years) was drawn by multistage...

Background Although combined antiretroviral therapy has substantially improved the prognosis of people living with HIV (PLHIV), mortality remains higher compared to the general population, mainly due to higher prevalence of non-HIV-related comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We assessed the prevalence of CVD risk and its contrib...

Background: In recent years, the development of commercial Kits for DNA extraction, combined with the use of molecular technologies have been utilized for the understanding of microbial ecosystems. DNA extraction consider being a critical step for molecular techniques such as Polymerase Chain Reaction. Several different methods and commercial kits...

Featured Application: E. coli in seawater can be simply and efficiently detected by direct PCR. The sensitivity of detection is significantly improved using magnetic beads based bacterial pre-concentration. Abstract: Foodborne and waterborne E. coli remains a major economic burden worldwide. Assaying seawater for trace levels of E. coli is challeng...

The establishment of municipalities in Greece is governed by Kallikratis Law (2011). There are 325 municipalities in Greece. The municipalities promote activities relating arts, education, health, sport and social services. In addition, there are a few national laws giving municipalities extra possibilities. Main financial sources of municipalities...

At this study a multi-criteria model was developed to examine the available procedures, techniques and methods of handling infectious waste in the large healthcare unit of University Regional General Hospital of Patras, Western Greece. Particularly, this study examined the: a) current legislation and Directives issued for medical waste management a...

The purpose of this study is to assess the overall impact of different anthropogenic activities in the Vouraikos River basin (southwestern Greece, Natura 2000 area). Virological quality of river water samples was investigated. Positive samples for human adenoviruses were found occasionally, while porcine adenoviruses and bovine polyoma viruses were...

BACKGROUND Although infectious diseases are globally on decline, they remain a major global public health problem. Among them, hepatitis B (HBV) or C virus (HCV) and HIV infection are of main interest. Valid prevalence data on these infections are sparse in Greece, especially for vulnerable populations. OBJECTIVE We present the design and methods...

Background: Although infectious diseases are globally on the decline, they remain a major global public health problem. Among them, the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infection are of primary interest. Valid prevalence data on these infections are sparse in Greece, especially for vulnerable populations. Objective: Thi...

The virological quality of surface marine and running water samples collected from Igoumenitsa gulf and Kalamas river (NW Greece) was assessed from October 2012 to September 2013. Sampling sites were exposed to different land and/or anthropogenic effects. Seawater samples were collected monthly from five sampling stations (new harbor, old harbor, w...

BACKGROUND Main causes of death in Greece are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), malignant neoplasms, respiratory diseases, and road traffic crashes. To assess the population health status, monitor health systems, and adjust policies, national population-based health surveys are recommended. The previous health surveys that were conducted in Greece we...

Background: Main causes of death in Greece are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), malignant neoplasms, respiratory diseases, and road traffic crashes. To assess the population health status, monitor health systems, and adjust policies, national population-based health surveys are recommended. The previous health surveys that were conducted in Greece...

Aims: Α systematic review to investigate fresh produce-borne viral outbreaks, tο record the outbreak distribution worldwide and to analyze the implication of different types of fresh produce and viral types as well. Methods and results: Four databases (PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Eurosurveillance Journal and Spingerlink electronic journal) and a glo...

Background We conducted a systematic review to investigate avian influenza outbreaks and to explore their distribution, upon avian influenza subtype, country, avian species and other relating details as no comprehensive epidemiological analysis of global avian influenza outbreaks from 2010 to 2016 exists. Methods Data was collated from four databas...

This study focuses on the effects of two clay colloids (kaolinite, KGa-1b and montmorillonite, STx-1b) and titanium dioxide (TiO 2) nanoparticles (NPs) on human adenovirus transport and retention in water saturated porous media at three different pore water velocities (0.38, 0.74, and 1.21 cm/min). Transport and cotransport experiments were perform...

The recently described double-locus sequence typing (DLST) scheme implemented to deeply characterize the genetic profiles of 52 resistant environmental Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates deriving from aquatic habitats of Greece. DLST scheme was able not only to assign an already known allelic profile to the majority of the isolates but also to recogni...

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the sanitary situation of handles of domestic litter bins in Patras city in the south west of Greece, as litter bins may be a matter of public health importance. Throughout the involved evaluation process we could assess the prevalence of bacteria on the handles of common public litter bins and in conse...

Background Τo perform a molecular epidemiological analysis of viral conjunctivitis among excess conjunctivitis cases recorded at the University Hospital of Patras, Greece, for the period March to June 2012. Methods A structured questionnaire containing demographic and clinical data was developed in order to collect retrospective data on the cases....

This study condenses data acquired during investigations of the virological quality of irrigation water used in production of fresh produce. One hundred and eight samples of irrigation water were collected from five berry fruit farms in Finland (1), the Czech Republic (1), Serbia (2), and Poland (1), and sixty-one samples were collected from three...

The Klisova lagoon aquatic system belongs to the wetland of Messolonghi - Aetoliko – Klisova Lagoon Complex, located in the western Greece and represents one of the most important Mediterranean lagoon systems, as it is protected by international conventions and is listed in the Natura 2000 European Network. Water physicochemical parameters such as...

Particles such as clay colloids (e.g. kaolinite and montmorillonite) and metal oxides (e.g. TiO2) have great potential for controlling the fate and transport of viruses in the subsurface. Although human adenoviruses (hAdVs) are used worldwide to indicate human fecal pollution in groundwater, their transport behavior in the subsurface environment is...

In the present work, reactive blending of copolymers with complementary functional groups was applied in order to control their antimicrobial activity and antifouling action in real conditions. For this purpose, two series of copolymers, poly(4-vinylbenzyl chloride-co-acrylic acid), P(VBC-co-AAx), and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate-co-glycidyl meth...

Objective: To date no nationwide epidemiological study of cardiovascular disease has been performed in the general population in Greece. This study evaluated the prevalence of coronary heart disease and stroke in individuals with hypertension in a randomly selected general population sample of adults in Greece. Design and method: The EMENO surve...