A rare case of presumptive pleural toxocariasis.

Toxocariasis is a cosmopolitan helminthiasis linked to contamination with Toxocara cati or Toxocara canis. Only six isolated cases of pleural toxocariasis have been reported in the literature. We describe a case of pleurisy with isolated eosinophilia varying between 600 and 1500/mm3 likely linked o presumptive toxocariasis in a 72-year-old patient. Our patient was admitted to hospital with severe dyspnoea, asthenia and diarrhoea. Imaging studies confirmed right unilateral pleurisy without any parenchymal involvement. Serology of serum and pleural fluid was positive for anti-Toxocara antibodies by ELISA and immunoblotting. Treatment by pleural drainage and anti-parasitic medication with albendazole for 8 days resulted in the resolution of symptoms. A decrease in the levels of polynuclear eosinophils and total IgE confirmed the clinical resolution. The presence of hypereosinophilia in pleural fluid should evoke a diagnosis of pleural toxocariasis. Clinical symptoms and imaging are non-specific, but positive serology for anti-Toxocara antibodies in serum and pleural fluid can confirm the diagnosis.

Low Serum Levels of Interferon Alpha in COVID-19 Patients Are Associated with Older Age.

Innate immune response, especially type 1 interferon (IFN) response is considered to play a substantial role in the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A reduced and delayed IFN response has been associated with progression to severe COVID-19. In this study, we investigated levels of circulating IFNα and serum neutralizing activity in COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit. We found a significant association of levels of IFNα with age (p = 0.007). This association has also been observed in a cohort of COVID-19 outpatients with mild infection (p = 0.02). The impact of senescence on IFN response can explain the higher susceptibility of the elderly to severe COVID-19.

Evaluation of a rapid semiquantitative lateral flow assay for the prediction of serum neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

BACKGROUND: Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against SARS-CoV-2 have been shown to correlate with protection against infection. Simple tools such as lateral flow assays (LFA) that can accurately measure NAbs may be useful for monitoring anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity in the future. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the performance of the ichroma™ COVID-19 nAb test, a rapid semiquantitative LFA, for the prediction of serum neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants. STUDY DESIGN: Serum samples were collected from COVID-19 recovered patients and vaccinated individuals. The result of the ichroma assay was provided as inhibition rate, and was compared to anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels, and NAbs against Alpha, Delta and Omicron variants. RESULTS: A total of 90 sera from recovered unvaccinated patients and 209 sera from the vaccine cohort were included in this study. In post-infection samples, the ichroma inhbition rate was found to be correlated with IgG levels (ρ = 0.83), and with anti-Alpha NAbs levels (ρ = 0.78). In the vaccine cohort, a good correlation was also observed between the ichroma inhibition rate and IgG levels (ρ = 0.84), as well as NAbs against Alpha (ρ = 0.62), Delta (ρ = 0.88) and Omicron (ρ = 0.74). An ichroma inhbition rate of 77.2%, 90.8% and 99.6% accurately predicted neutralization against Alpha, Delta and Omicron variants respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The ichroma™ COVID-19 nAb assay, with appropriate variant cut-offs, can be useful for the monitoring of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunization and may provide a rapid prediction of protection, especially in individuals with significant levels of NAbs.