Epidemiology, Clinical Manifestations, Treatment, and Outcome of Mucormycosis: A Review of 77 Cases From a Single Center in France.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and outcome of mucormycosis over 15 years in a single center in France. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all mucormycosis cases in our institution from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2020 and analyzed patients' medical records, laboratory results, and treatment to describe the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. Mucorales quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for the diagnosis was implemented in 2015. Results: Seventy-seven mucormycosis cases were analyzed in 77 patients, with a median age of 54 years (60% male). Identified risk factors were hematological diseases (46 cases [60%]), solid malignancies (2 cases), solid organ transplants (3), burns (18), diabetes only (7), and trauma (1). Sites of infection were lungs (42%), sinus (36%), skin (31%), central nervous system (9%), liver (8%), others (6%), and disseminated (12%). Diagnosis remained difficult and qPCR contributed to mucormycosis diagnosis in 30% of cases. Among hematology patients, serum qPCR was the only positive test in 15% of cases. A mixed mold infection was diagnosed in 24 of 77 (31%) patients. Surgical treatment was undertaken in 43 (56%) cases. Most patients received liposomal amphotericin B (89%), with a combination therapy in 18 of 77 cases (23%). Three-month survival rate was 40% (95% confidence interval [CI], .30-.53]). As for treatment, adjunction of surgery (hazard ratio, 0.47 [95%CI, .25-.91); P = 0.02) was associated with lower mortality. Conclusions: Mucormycosis remained associated with high mortality, especially in the hematological and burn populations. Surgery in combination with antifungal treatment was associated with improved survival.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and myeloma.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has rarely been described in myeloma, but chemotherapy is a known risk factor. We report 3 patients with myeloma who developed PRES, and analyzed them with 13 published cases, mostly women. The most frequent causative agents were proteasome inhibitors and autologous stem cell transplantation. Risk factors were frequently associated: hypertension, infection or renal failure. Symptoms included headache, blurred vision, altered mental status, seizures. Most patients experienced rapid clinical recovery, without relapse even after resuming treatment. Although rare, we must remain vigilant about PRES in myeloma patients. Stricter control of blood pressure could limit its occurrence.

Time to negative PCR conversion amongst high-risk patients with mild-to-moderate Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 COVID-19 treated with sotrovimab or nirmatrelvir.

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to compare the clinical and virological outcomes in Omicron BA.1- and BA.2-infected patients who received sotrovimab with those in patients who received nirmatrelvir for the prevention of severe COVID-19. METHODS: In this multi-centric, prospective ANRS 0003S CoCoPrev cohort study, patients at a high risk of progression of mild-to-moderate BA.1 or BA.2 COVID-19 who received sotrovimab or nirmatrelvir were included. The proportion of patients with progression to severe COVID-19, time between the start of treatment to negative PCR conversion, SARS-CoV-2 viral decay, and characterization of resistance variants were determined. A multi-variable Cox proportional hazard model was used to determine the time to negative PCR conversion and a mixed-effect model for the dynamics of viral decay. RESULTS: Amongst 255 included patients, 199 (80%) received ≥3 vaccine doses, 195 (76%) received sotrovimab, and 60 (24%) received nirmatrelvir. On day 28, new COVID-19-related hospitalization occurred in 4 of 193 (2%; 95% CI, 1-5%) sotrovimab-treated patients and 0 of 55 nirmatrelvir-treated patients (p 0.24). One out of the 55 nirmatrelvir-treated patients died (2%; 95% CI, 0-10%). The median time to negative PCR conversion was 11.5 days (95% CI, 10.5-13) in the sotrovimab-treated patients vs. 4 days (95% CI, 4-9) in the nirmatrelvir-treated patients (p < 0.001). Viral decay was faster in the patients who received nirmatrelvir (p < 0.001). In the multi-variable analysis, nirmatrelvir and nasopharyngeal PCR cycle threshold values were independently associated with faster conversion to negative PCR (hazard ratio, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.56-3.56; p < 0.0001 and hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.08; p 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Early administration of nirmatrelvir in high-risk patients compared with that of sotrovimab was associated with faster viral clearance. This may participate to decrease transmission and prevent viral resistance.

Characteristics of circulating KSHV-infected viroblasts during active KSHV+ multicentric Castleman disease.

Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus 8-associated multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) is a polyclonal B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder that mainly occurs in immunocompromised hosts. The diagnosis relies on lymph node biopsy demonstrating KSHV-infected cells located in the mantle zone with a marked interfollicular plasma cell infiltration. Infected cells are large cells positive for immunoglobulin M (IgM), λ light chain, and CD38, described initially as infected plasmablasts. We show that IgM+λ+CD38high cells were also detectable in the peripheral blood of 14 out of 18 (78%) patients with active KSHV-MCD and absent in 40 controls. Using immunofluorescence and flow-fluorescence in situ hybridization, we demonstrate that these cells are KSHV infected and express both latent and lytic KSHV transcripts. These KSHV-infected viroblasts (KIVs) harbor a distinct phenotype compared with conventional plasmablasts. We also identified several putative mechanisms of immune escape used by KSHV, because KIVs displayed an overall decrease of costimulatory molecules, with a remarkable lack of CD40 expression and are interleukin-10-producing cells. The identification of this specific and easily accessible KSHV+ circulating population brings new elements to the understanding of KSHV-MCD but also raises new questions that need to be clarified.

Lymphoma in HIV-2-infected patients in combination antiretroviral therapy era.

OBJECTIVE: To describe lymphoma in HIV-2-infected patients and compare their characteristics with lymphoma in HIV-1-infected patients. DESIGN: Ancillary analysis from a single center prospective cohort of HIV-lymphoma. METHODS: We report on 16 patients with HIV-2-lymphoma diagnosed after 1996 and included in a prospective cohort of HIV lymphoma. Five additional HIV-2-infected patients coinfected with HIV-1 or/and HTLV-I (6 lymphomas) are separately reported. The incidence of lymphoma in HIV-2-infected patients was evaluated in the French multicentric HIV-2 cohort. RESULTS: Incidence of lymphoma in the French HIV-2 cohort was estimated as 0.6/1000 patient-years. In our series, the median CD4+ cell count was 166 × 106/l at the time of lymphoma diagnosis and 50% of patients had undetectable plasma HIV-2-RNA. Lymphomas were non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 12) and classical Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 4). Similarly to HIV-1-lymphoma, clinical presentation was aggressive in most cases. All but one patient received intensive chemotherapy. Complete remission was achieved in 13 cases and 1 patient relapsed. The overall survival was not statistically different from that observed in patients with HIV-1 lymphoma. The six additional lymphomas observed in five HIV-2-infected patients coinfected with HIV-1 or/and HTLV-I presented with similar clinical presentation but worse prognosis. CONCLUSION: Despite the lower pathogenicity of HIV-2, the risk of developing lymphoma seems to be close to that observed in HIV-1 population with similar lymphoma characteristics. Compared with HIV-1, HIV-2-infected patients developed lymphoma later in their life but at a similar CD4+ cell count level.

Iron deficiency, an unusual cause of thrombocytopenia: results from a multicenter retrospective case-controlled study.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is often associated with mild to moderate thrombocytosis, and iron deficiency-associated thrombocytopenia (IDAT) is much more uncommon and often misdiagnosed as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). To better describe the features of IDAT, we conducted a retrospective multicenter case-control study. We identified 10 patients (9 women) with a definite diagnosis IDAT, with a median age of 43.5 [range, 16-72] years and a median platelet count of 30.5 × 109/L [range, 21-80], and 7 patients with a possible diagnosis of IDAT. Bleeding manifestations were absent in all patients but one. All the patients recovered (platelet count ≥ 150 × 109/L) upon iron therapy ± red blood cell transfusion after a median time of 6 [4-39] days. When compared with 30 randomly newly diagnosed ITP patients matched on age, the baseline platelet count was significantly lower in ITP (median = 7 × 109/L [4-59], p < 0.001) whereas MPV was higher (10.5 fL [9,4-13,8] vs 8.2 fL, for IDAT p < 0.001). The median platelet count on day 7 was 337 × 109/L [113-1000] for IDAT cases vs 72 × 109/L [13-212] for ITP controls (p < 0.001). IDAT is potentially an under-recognized cause of thrombocytopenia that may be easily managed with iron therapy.

Targeting glutaminolysis has antileukemic activity in acute myeloid leukemia and synergizes with BCL-2 inhibition.

Cancer cells require glutamine to adapt to increased biosynthetic activity. The limiting step in intracellular glutamine catabolism involves its conversion to glutamate by glutaminase (GA). Different GA isoforms are encoded by the genes GLS1 and GLS2 in humans. Herein, we show that glutamine levels control mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Glutaminase C (GAC) is the GA isoform that is most abundantly expressed in AML. Both knockdown of GLS1 expression and pharmacologic GLS1 inhibition by the drug CB-839 can reduce OXPHOS, leading to leukemic cell proliferation arrest and apoptosis without causing cytotoxic activity against normal human CD34(+) progenitors. Strikingly, GLS1 knockdown dramatically inhibited AML development in NSG mice. The antileukemic activity of CB-839 was abrogated by both the expression of a hyperactive GAC(K320A) allele and the addition of the tricarboxyclic acid cycle product α-ketoglutarate, indicating the critical function of GLS1 in AML cell survival. Finally, glutaminolysis inhibition activated mitochondrial apoptosis and synergistically sensitized leukemic cells to priming with the BCL-2 inhibitor ABT-199. These findings show that targeting glutamine addiction via GLS1 inhibition offers a potential novel therapeutic strategy for AML.

Norovirus-related chronic diarrhea in a patient treated with alemtuzumab for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Norovirus infection is increasingly recognized as an important cause of persistent gastroenteritis in immunocompromised hosts and can be a potential cause of morbidity in these populations. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report a case of norovirus-related chronic diarrhea occurring in a 62-year-old immunocompromised patient treated with alemtuzumab for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Despite different therapeutic strategies including tapering of immunosuppressive therapy and immunoglobulin administration, diarrhea unfortunately did not resolve and lasted for a total of more than twelve weeks with prolonged norovirus fecal excretion. CONCLUSIONS: Norovirus infection can occur in the setting of alemtuzumab treatment, even as a single agent, and should be included in the differential diagnoses of acute and chronic diarrhea in these immunocompromised patients. Although the administration of oral immunoglobulin has been described as a promising efficient therapy, this was not the case in our patient. Clinical trials are thus clearly warranted to better define risk factors and efficient therapies for norovirus infection in immunocompromised populations.