Rifabutin versus rifampicin bactericidal and antibiofilm activities against clinical strains of Staphylococcus spp. isolated from bone and joint infections.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococci account for approximately 60% of periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs). Rifampicin (RMP) combination therapy is generally considered to be the treatment of choice for staphylococcal PJIs but carries an important risk of adverse events and drug-drug interactions. Rifabutin (RFB) shares many of the properties of rifampicin but causes fewer adverse events. OBJECTIVES: To compare the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC), and the minimum biofilm eradication concentrations (MBEC) of rifabutin and rifampicin for staphylococcal clinical strains isolated from PJIs. METHODS: 132 clinical strains of rifampicin-susceptible staphylococci [51 Staphylococcus aureus (SA), 48 Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE) and 33 other coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS)] were studied. The MBC and the MBEC were determined using the MBEC® Assay for rifabutin and rifampicin and were compared. RESULTS: When compared with the rifampicin MIC median value, the rifabutin MIC median value was significantly higher for SA (P < 0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference for SE (P = 0.25) and CoNS (P = 0.29). The rifabutin MBC median value was significantly higher than that of rifampicin for SA (P = 0.003) and was lower for SE (P = 0.003) and CoNS (P = 0.03). Rifabutin MBEC median value was statistically lower than that of rifampicin for all strains tested. CONCLUSIONS: Using the determination of MBEC values, our study suggests that rifabutin is more effective than rifampicin against clinical strains of Staphylococcus spp. obtained from PJIs. Using MBECs instead of MICs seems to be of interest when considering biofilms. In vivo higher efficacy of rifabutin when compared with rifampicin needs to be confirmed.

How and why do French medical students choose the specialty of infectious and tropical diseases? A national cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Infectious and tropical diseases (ID) physicians are needed now more than ever to tackle existing and emerging global threats. However, in many countries, ID is not recognized as a qualifying specialty. The creation of ID residency in 2017 in France offers the opportunity to know how and why the specialty is chosen by medical students. METHODS: We first analyzed the choice of specialty of all French medical students in 2017 and 2018 according to their rank at the national exam that ends medical studies. A web questionnaire was then sent in January 2019 to all ID residents in France (n = 100) to assess the factors influencing their choice of specialty and their career plan. RESULTS: We analyzed the choice of 17,087 medical students. ID was the first-chosen specialty with a median national rank of 526/8539, followed by plastic surgery and ophthalmology. The questionnaire was completed by 90% of the French ID residents (n = 100). The most encouraging factors to choose ID were the multi-system approach of the specialty, the importance of diagnostic medicine and having done an internship in ID during medical school. The potential deterrents were the work-life balance, the workload and the salary. CONCLUSIONS: The recent recognition of ID as a qualifying specialty in France can be considered a success insofar as the specialty is the most popular among all medical and surgical specialties. Individuals who choose ID are attracted by the intellectual stimulation of the specialty but express concerns about the working conditions and salaries.

Dalbavancin as salvage therapy in difficult-to-treat patients for diabetes-related foot osteomyelitis.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe the efficacy and safety of dalbavancin in treatment of patients with diabetes-related foot osteomyelitis with bone culture confirmation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2019 and December 2021, all consecutive patients receiving at least one 1500 mg dose of dalbavancin for diabetes-related foot osteomyelitis were included in a retrospective study. Remission was defined as absence of relapsing infection or need for surgery at the initial or a contiguous site during 6-month follow-up from the last dose of dalbavancin. RESULTS: Thirteen patients were included. Eleven (85%) patients were surgically treated. Six (46%) patients received dalbavancin as first-line treatment and 7 (54%) as second-line treatment due to adverse events related to previous treatments. One adverse event was reported. At 6-month follow-up, 11 patients were evaluable and 9 (82%) were in remission. CONCLUSIONS: In the study, dalbavancin was well-tolerated and showed microbiological and clinical efficacy.

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) knowledge among general practitioners in 2020: A French survey.

INTRODUCTION: Since 2017, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been one of the tools in combination HIV prevention strategies. The objective of our questionnaire was to analyze the knowledge and the position of general practitioners in Hauts-de-France on PrEP. METHOD: This quantitative, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 using an anonymous questionnaire sent by post to a sample of 3007 GPs. RESULTS: Four hundred and forty-four questionnaires (14.8 %) were included. The GPs were predominantly male (n = 253, 57 %) with a median age of 47 years. The median interest shown by respondents was 7/10. One hundred and sixty participating GPs (36%) were aware of the principles of PrEP, one hundred and sixty were only aware of the title (36%) and 124 (28%) showed no awareness at all. Out of the 160 GPs who knew about PrEP, 72 % considered it effective, 30 % knew about it from a patient and 34 % declared having at least one patient using PrEP. GPs who knew about PrEP were more likely to: have graduated less than 10 years before, having seen in consultation men who have sex with men (MSMs) and, lastly; using screening practices for sexually transmitted infections that were better aligned with the recommendations than those who reported not knowing about PrEP. CONCLUSION: Although PrEP remains insufficiently known to GPs, many expressed eagerness to be involved. The training of health professionals and the highlighting of GPs' role in prevention could help to optimize the fight against HIV.

High endemicity of Q fever in French Guiana: A cross sectional study (2007-2017).

Q fever (QF) is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii (Cb). French Guiana (FG) had a high incidence but no data have been published since 2006. The objective of this study was to update the incidence and epidemiological data on QF in FG. A retrospective study of all FG Q fever serodiagnosis between 2007 and 2017 was carried out. Among the 695 patients included, the M/F sex-ratio was 2.0 and the median age of 45.3 years (IQR 33.7-56.3). The annual QF incidence rate was 27.4 cases (95%CI: 7.1-47.7) per 100,000 inhabitants ranging from 5.2 in 2007 to 40.4 in 2010. Risk factors associated with Q fever compared to general population were male gender, being born in mainland France, an age between 30 to 59 years-old and a residence in Cayenne and surroundings. The incidence of QF in FG remains high and stable and the highest in the world.

History of COVID-19 Symptoms and Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in HIV-Infected Patients in Northern France after the First Wave of the Pandemic.

To assess the prevalence of COVID-19 in people living with HIV (PLWHIV), we performed an epidemiological survey from 1 April through 1 August 2020 in an HIV reference center in Northern France. PLWHIV completed a questionnaire about risk exposures and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and performed a SARS-CoV-2 serology. Among the 600 PLWHIV included, 16 have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms consistent with COVID-19 were frequent both in SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients (67% vs. 32%, p = 0.02). Among SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, one (6%) has been hospitalized and five (31%) have been asymptomatic. Close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case was the only factor associated with COVID-19 acquisition (40% vs. 13%, p = 0.01). The prevalence of COVID-19 in PLWHIV was 2.5%, half of the overall population estimate after the first wave of the pandemic in France. In conclusion, proportion of asymptomatic COVID-19 was high in PLWHIV. The prevalence of COVID-19 in PLWHIV was two times lower than in the general population.

Human Q Fever on the Guiana Shield and Brazil: Recent Findings and Remaining Questions.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this review, we report on the state of knowledge about human Q fever in Brazil and on the Guiana Shield, an Amazonian region located in northeastern South America. There is a contrast between French Guiana, where the incidence of this disease is the highest in the world, and other countries where this disease is practically non-existent. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent findings are essentially in French Guiana where a unique strain MST17 has been identified; it is probably more virulent than those usually found with a particularly marked pulmonary tropism, a mysterious animal reservoir, a geographical distribution that raises questions. SUMMARY: Q fever is a bacterial zoonosis due to Coxiella burnetii that has been reported worldwide. On the Guiana Shield, a region mostly covered by Amazonian forest, which encompasses the Venezuelan State of Bolivar, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and the Brazilian State of Amapá, the situation is very heterogeneous. While French Guiana is the region reporting the highest incidence of this disease in the world, with a single infecting clone (MST 117) and a unique epidemiological cycle, it has hardly ever been reported in other countries in the region. This absence of cases raises many questions and is probably due to massive under-diagnosis. Studies should estimate comprehensively the true burden of this disease in the region.

Ecology, evolution, and epidemiology of zoonotic and vector-borne infectious diseases in French Guiana: Transdisciplinarity does matter to tackle new emerging threats.

French Guiana is a European ultraperipheric region located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It constitutes an important forested region for biological conservation in the Neotropics. Although very sparsely populated, with its inhabitants mainly concentrated on the Atlantic coastal strip and along the two main rivers, it is marked by the presence and development of old and new epidemic disease outbreaks, both research and health priorities. In this review paper, we synthetize 15 years of multidisciplinary and integrative research at the interface between wildlife, ecosystem modification, human activities and sociodemographic development, and human health. This study reveals a complex epidemiological landscape marked by important transitional changes, facilitated by increased interconnections between wildlife, land-use change and human occupation and activity, human and trade transportation, demography with substantial immigration, and identified vector and parasite pharmacological resistance. Among other French Guianese characteristics, we demonstrate herein the existence of more complex multi-host disease life cycles than previously described for several disease systems in Central and South America, which clearly indicates that today the greater promiscuity between wildlife and humans due to demographic and economic pressures may offer novel settings for microbes and their hosts to circulate and spread. French Guiana is a microcosm that crystallizes all the current global environmental, demographic and socioeconomic change conditions, which may favor the development of ancient and future infectious diseases.

Accuracy of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration in HIV-infected patients with thoracic lymphadenopathy in a tuberculosis low-burden area.

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is an innovative technique to explore hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. We aimed to assess its diagnostic accuracy in HIV-infected patients in a tuberculosis low-burden area. A retrospective review was performed of all HIV-infected patients with thoracic lymphadenopathy referred for EBUS-TBNA between January 2012 and January 2019 in 3 Northern French Hospitals. A total of 15 patients was included during the study period. Our patients were predominantly male (80%), with a mean age of 50 ± 11 years. Six patients (43%) had a CD4 cells count of less than 200/mm3. Eleven patients (73%) were receiving antiretroviral therapy, and 7 (47%) reached undetectable viral load. Adequate lymphnode sampling was accomplished in all patients. No serious complications were reported. EBUS-TBNA led to a definitive diagnosis in 12 out of 15 patients (80%). It identified 4 neoplasia, 3 atypical mycobacterial diseases, 2 tuberculosis, 1 Castleman disease, 1 sarcoidosis, and 1 professional dustiness. In 3 cases, sampling revealed normal lymphoid tissue. Active surveillance confirmed the suspected diagnosis of HIV adenitis with regression of lymphadenopathy on antiretroviral therapy in 2 cases. In one case of negative sampling, thoracoscopy led to the diagnosis of tuberculosis. In our cohort, accuracy of EBUS-TBNA was 92%. EBUS-TBNA appeared to be a safe and accurate tool in the investigation of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in HIV-infected patients in settings of tuberculosis low-prevalence. It can avoid more invasive procedures such as mediastinoscopy.