Systemic fungal endophytes (Clavicipitaceae) of grasses reproduce sexually when the fungus forms stromata and contagious ascospores, or asexually by vertical transmission of hyphae into seeds and seedlings. Vertical transmission is predicted to favor reduced virulence compared with horizontal transmission in systems with both types of transmission. Here, variation in vertical and horizontal tra...

Hepatitis B is a chronic viral infection of the liver leading to complications including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The leading cause of acquisition is vertical transmission from an infected mother to the newborn. Despite newborn immunoprophylaxis, vertical transmission may still occur in 1-14%. The aim of this article is to provide a concise review of the mechanisms and risk facto...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to verify the prevalence and vertical transmission rate of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B in pregnant women in the municipality of Itajaí, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, during the 2002-2007 period. METHODS Data were collected in a retrospective population-based longitudinal study using computerized medical records of the state and local health autho...