[Welcoming and caring for homeless people]. / Accueillir les personnes sans abri et en prendre soin.

Dedicated care facilities can accommodate homeless people who are in situations that may lead to neglect due to their social insecurity, psychiatric and/or cognitive disorders. This is the case of the reception and hospital care centre in Nanterre (92), in the Paris suburbs. The professionals there provide a humane welcome to people whose physical condition, health and hygiene are often very poor. Taking care of them is the richness of the experience.

Descriptions of Mikrocytos veneroïdes n. sp. and Mikrocytos donaxi n. sp. (Ascetosporea: Mikrocytida: Mikrocytiidae), detected during important mortality events of the wedge clam Donax trunculus Linnaeus (Veneroida: Donacidae), in France between 2008 and 2011.

BACKGROUND: Microcell parasites are small intracellular protozoans mostly detected in molluscs and can be associated with mortalities. In 2010 and 2011, strong increases in mortality events were reported in different wild beds of the wedge clam Donax trunculus Linnaeus, along the Atlantic coast of France and the presence of potential pathogens, including microcells, was investigated. METHODS: Clams collected in different beds showing mortality were examined by histology. Based on histological observations, confirmatory analyses were carried out, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and molecular characterization. RESULTS: Histological analyses revealed the presence of small protozoans similar to microcell parasites in different tissues of Donax trunculus, particularly in muscular and connective tissues. TEM examination confirmed the intracellular localization of the protozoans. Moreover, the lack of haplosporosomes and mitochondria suggested that the observed parasites belong to the genus Mikrocytos Farley, Wolf & Elston, 1988. Mikrocytos genus-specific PCR and in situ hybridization results supported the microscopic observations. Sequence fragments of the 18S rRNA gene shared 75-83% identity with the different Mikrocytos spp. described previously, including Mikrocytos mackini Farley, Wolf & Elston, 1988 and M. boweri Abbott, Meyer, Lowe, Kim & Johnson, 2014. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the microcell parasites observed in Donax trunculus in France belong to the genus Mikrocytos and suggest the existence of two distinct species. CONCLUSIONS: Based on morphological, ultrastructural, molecular data and host information, the two microcell parasites detected in Donax trunculus belong to the genus Mikrocytos and are distinct from previously described members of this genus. This is the first report of Mikrocytos spp. found in France and infecting the clam Donax trunculus. Mikrocytos veneroïdes n. sp. was detected in different wild beds and Mikrocytos donaxi n. sp. was detected only in Audierne Bay.

[Teams working at the heart of precarity]. / Des équipes au coeur de la précarité.

The specific mission of the Nanterre hospital and nursing home (CASH) is to welcome, care for and accommodate people in situations of precarity. To fulfil this mission, multi-professional teams from the healthcare and social sector work there.