Compared Performance of the 2023 Duke-International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases, 2000 Modified Duke, and 2015 European Society of Cardiology Criteria for the Diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis in a French Multicenter Prospective Cohort.

BACKGROUND: The 2023 Duke-International Society for Cardiovascular Diseases (ISCVID) criteria for infective endocarditis (IE) were proposed as an updated diagnostic classification of IE. Using an open prospective multicenter cohort of patients treated for IE, we compared the performance of these new criteria to that of the 2000 Modified Duke and 2015 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) criteria. METHODS: Cases of patients treated for IE between January 2017 and October 2022 were adjudicated as certain IE or not. Each case was also categorized as either definite or possible/rejected within each classification. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were estimated with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Of the 1194 patients analyzed (mean age, 66.1 years; 71.2% males), 414 (34.7%) had a prosthetic valve and 284 (23.8%) had a cardiac implanted electronic device (CIED); 946 (79.2%) were adjudicated as certain IE; 978 (81.9%), 997 (83.5%), and 1057 (88.5%) were classified as definite IE in the 2000 modified Duke, 2015 ESC, and 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria, respectively. The sensitivity of each set of criteria was 93.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91.6-94.8), 95.0% (95% CI, 93.7-96.4), and 97.6% (95% CI, 96.6-98.6), respectively (P < .001 for all 2-by-2 comparisons). Corresponding specificity rates were 61.3% (95% CI, 55.2-67.4), 60.5% (95% CI, 54.4-66.6), and 46.0% (95% CI, 39.8-52.2), respectively. In patients without CIED, sensitivity rates were 94.8% (95% CI, 93.2-96.4), 96.5% (95% CI, 95.1-97.8), and 97.7% (95% CI, 96.6-98.8); specificity rates were 59.0% (95% CI, 51.6-66.3), 56.6% (95% CI, 49.3-64.0), and 53.8% (95% CI, 46.3-61.2), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria had a significantly higher sensitivity but a significantly lower specificity compared with older criteria. This decreased specificity was mainly attributable to patients with CIED.

Antibiotic Therapy for 6 or 12 Weeks for Prosthetic Joint Infection.

BACKGROUND: The management of prosthetic joint infection usually consists of a combination of surgery and antimicrobial therapy. The appropriate duration of antimicrobial therapy for this indication remains unclear. METHODS: We performed an open-label, randomized, controlled, noninferiority trial to compare 6 weeks with 12 weeks of antibiotic therapy in patients with microbiologically confirmed prosthetic joint infection that had been managed with an appropriate surgical procedure. The primary outcome was persistent infection (defined as the persistence or recurrence of infection with the initial causative bacteria, with an antibiotic susceptibility pattern that was phenotypically indistinguishable from that at enrollment) within 2 years after the completion of antibiotic therapy. Noninferiority of 6 weeks of therapy to 12 weeks of therapy would be shown if the upper boundary of the 95% confidence interval for the absolute between-group difference (the value in the 6-week group minus the value in the 12-week group) in the percentage of patients with persistent infection within 2 years was not greater than 10 percentage points. RESULTS: A total of 410 patients from 28 French centers were randomly assigned to receive antibiotic therapy for 6 weeks (205 patients) or for 12 weeks (205 patients). Six patients who withdrew consent were not included in the analysis. In the main analysis, 20 patients who died during follow-up were excluded, and missing outcomes for 6 patients who were lost to follow-up were considered to be persistent infection. Persistent infection occurred in 35 of 193 patients (18.1%) in the 6-week group and in 18 of 191 patients (9.4%) in the 12-week group (risk difference, 8.7 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, 1.8 to 15.6); thus, noninferiority was not shown. Noninferiority was also not shown in the per-protocol and sensitivity analyses. We found no evidence of between-group differences in the percentage of patients with treatment failure due to a new infection, probable treatment failure, or serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with microbiologically confirmed prosthetic joint infections that were managed with standard surgical procedures, antibiotic therapy for 6 weeks was not shown to be noninferior to antibiotic therapy for 12 weeks and resulted in a higher percentage of patients with unfavorable outcomes. (Funded by Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique, French Ministry of Health; DATIPO ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01816009.).

CRP under 130 mg/L rules out the diagnosis of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (URINELLA Study).

INTRODUCTION: In case of pneumonia, some biological findings are suggestive for Legionnaire's disease (LD) including C-reactive protein (CRP). A low level of CRP is predictive for negative Legionella Urinary-Antigen-Test (L-UAT). METHOD: Observational retrospective study in Nord-Franche-Comté Hospital with external validation in Besançon University Hospital, France which included all adults with L-UAT performed during January 2018 to December 2022. The objective was to determine CRP optimal threshold to predict a L-UAT negative result. RESULTS: URINELLA included 5051 patients (83 with positive L-UAT). CRP optimal threshold was 131.9 mg/L, with a negative predictive value (NPV) at 100%, sensitivity at 100% and specificity at 58.0%. The AUC of the ROC-Curve was at 88.7% (95% CI, 86.3-91.1). External validation in Besançon Hospital patients showed an AUC at 89.8% (95% CI, 85.5-94.1) and NPV, sensitivity and specificity was respectively 99.9%, 97.6% and 59.1% for a CRP threshold at 131.9 mg/L; after exclusion of immunosuppressed patients, index sensitivity and NPV reached also 100%. CONCLUSION: In case of pneumonia suspicion with a CRP level under 130 mg/L (independently of the severity) L-UAT is useless in immunocompetent patients with a NPV at 100%. We must remain cautious in patients with symptoms onset less than 48 h before CRP dosage.

Positive intrathecal anti-Borrelia antibody synthesis: what are the implications for clinical practice? Clinical features and outcomes of 138 patients in a French multicenter cohort study.

We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, management, and residual symptoms (RS) in patients with definite and possible Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). We conducted a retrospective French multicenter cohort study (2010-2020). Cases of LNB were defined as clinical manifestations attributed to LNB and a positive Borrelia-specific intrathecal antibody index (AI) ("possible" LNB) and with pleocytosis ("definite" LNB). Risk factors of RS were determined using a logistic regression model. We included 138 adult patients with a positive AI. Mean age was 59.5 years (± 14.7). The median duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 1.0 [0.5-4.0] months. The most frequent manifestation was radicular pain (n = 79, 57%). Complete cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocyte analysis was available in 131 patients, of whom 72 (55%) had pleocytosis. Patients with definite LNB had a shorter duration of symptoms (median 1.0 [0.5-2.6] vs. 3.0 [0.6-7.0] months, p < 0.01) and more radicular pain (74% vs 44%, p < 0.01) than patients with possible LNB. At the last visit (median duration of follow-up: 70 [30-175] days), 74/124 patients (59.7%) reported RS, mostly radicular pain (n = 31, 25%). In multivariate analysis, definite LNB (OR = 0.21 [0.05-0.931], p = 0.039) and duration of symptoms less than 3 months (OR = 0.04 [0.01-0.37], p = 0.005) were protective factors against RS at last follow-up. Our study highlights the challenges of LNB management, especially for patients with a positive AI without pleocytosis, questioning whether LB is still ongoing or not. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to improve outcomes and to lower potential RS.

Persistent headaches one year after bacterial meningitis: prevalence, determinants and impact on quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Little is known on headaches long-term persistence after bacterial meningitis and on their impact on patients' quality of life. METHODS: In an ancillary study of the French national prospective cohort of community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults (COMBAT) conducted between February 2013 and July 2015, we collected self-reported headaches before, at onset, and 12 months (M12) after meningitis. Determinants of persistent headache (PH) at M12, their association with M12 quality of life (SF 12), depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) and neuro-functional disability were analysed. RESULTS: Among the 277 alive patients at M12 87/274 (31.8%), 213/271 (78.6%) and 86/277 (31.0%) reported headaches before, at the onset, and at M12, respectively. In multivariate analysis, female sex (OR: 2.75 [1.54-4.90]; p < 0.001), pre-existing headaches before meningitis (OR: 2.38 [1.32-4.30]; p < 0.01), higher neutrophilic polynuclei percentage in the CSF of the initial lumbar puncture (OR: 1.02 [1.00-1.04]; p < 0.05), and brain abscess during the initial hospitalisation (OR: 8.32 [1.97-35.16]; p < 0.01) were associated with M12 persistent headaches. Neither the responsible microorganism, nor the corticoids use were associated with M12 persistent headaches. M12 neuro-functional disability (altered Glasgow Outcome Scale; p < 0.01), M12 physical handicap (altered modified Rankin score; p < 0.001), M12 depressive symptoms (p < 0.0001), and M12 altered physical (p < 0.05) and mental (p < 0.0001) qualities of life were associated with M12 headaches. CONCLUSION: Persistent headaches are frequent one year after meningitis and are associated with quality of life alteration. CLINICAL TRIAL: NCT01730690.

BNT162b2 Messenger RNA Vaccination Did Not Prevent an Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Variant 501Y.V2 in an Elderly Nursing Home but Reduced Transmission and Disease Severity.

We report an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 501Y.V2 in a nursing home. All nonvaccinated residents (5/5) versus half of those vaccinated with BNT162b2 (13/26) were infected. Two of 13 vaccinated versus 4 of 5 nonvaccinated residents presented severe disease. BNT162b2 did not prevent the outbreak, but reduced transmission and disease severity.

Olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19, new insights from a cohort of 353 patients: The ANOSVID study.

Olfactory disorders (OD) pathogenesis, underlying conditions, and prognostic in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain partially described. ANOSVID is a retrospective study in Nord Franche-Comté Hospital (France) that included COVID-19 patients from March 1 2020 to May 31 2020. The aim was to compare COVID-19 patients with OD (OD group) and patients without OD (no-OD group). A second analysis compared patients with anosmia (high OD group) and patients with hyposmia or no OD (low or no-OD group). The OD group presented less cardiovascular and other respiratory diseases compared to the no-OD group (odds ratio [OR] = 0.536 [0.293-0.981], p = 0.041 and OR = 0.222 [0.056-0.874], p = 0.037 respectively). Moreover, history of malignancy was less present in the high OD group compared with the low or no-OD group (OR = 0.170 [0.064-0.455], p < 0.001). The main associated symptoms (OR > 5) with OD were loss of taste (OR = 24.059 [13.474-42.959], p = 0.000) and cacosmia (OR = 5.821 [2.246-15.085], p < 0.001). Most of all ORs decreased in the second analysis, especially for general, digestive, and ENT symptoms. Only two ORs increased: headache (OR = 2.697 [1.746-4.167], p < 0.001) and facial pain (OR = 2.901 [1.441-5.842], p = 0.002). The high OD group had a higher creatinine clearance CKD than the low or no-OD group (89.0 ± 21.1 vs. 81.0 ± 20.5, p = 0.040). No significant difference was found concerning the virological, radiological, and severity criteria. OD patients seem to have less comorbidity, especially better cardiovascular and renal function. Associated symptoms with OD were mostly neurological symptoms. We did not find a significant relationship between OD and less severity in COVID-19 possibly due to methodological bias.

Impact of Systematic Whole-body 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT on the Management of Patients Suspected of Infective Endocarditis: The Prospective Multicenter TEPvENDO Study.

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic and patients' management modifications induced by whole-body 18F-FDG-PET/CT had not been evaluated so far in prosthetic valve (PV) or native valve (NV) infective endocarditis (IE)-suspected patients. METHODS: In sum, 140 consecutive patients in 8 tertiary care hospitals underwent 18F-FDG-PET/CT. ESC-2015-modified Duke criteria and patients' management plan were established jointly by 2 experts before 18F-FDG-PET/CT. The same experts reestablished Duke classification and patients' management plan immediately after qualitative interpretation of 18F-FDG-PET/CT. A 6-month final Duke classification was established. RESULTS: Among the 70 PV and 70 NV patients, 34 and 46 were classified as definite IE before 18F-FDG-PET/CT. Abnormal perivalvular 18F-FDG uptake was recorded in 67.2% PV and 24.3% NV patients respectively (P < .001) and extracardiac uptake in 44.3% PV and 51.4% NV patients. IE classification was modified in 24.3% and 5.7% patients (P = .005) (net reclassification index 20% and 4.3%). Patients' managements were modified in 21.4% PV and 31.4% NV patients (P = .25). It was mainly due to perivalvular uptake in PV patients and to extra-cardiac uptake in NV patients and consisted in surgery plan modifications in 7 patients, antibiotic plan modifications in 22 patients and both in 5 patients. Altogether, 18F-FDG-PET/CT modified classification and/or care in 40% of the patients (95% confidence interval: 32-48), which was most likely to occur in those with a noncontributing echocardiography (P < .001) or IE classified as possible at baseline (P = .04), while there was no difference between NV and PV. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic 18F-FDG-PET/CT did significantly and appropriately impact diagnostic classification and/or IE management in PV and NV-IE suspected patients. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT02287792.

Older adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection: Utility of the clinical frailty scale to predict mortality.

The objective of this study was to identify predictive factors of mortality in older adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including the level of clinical frailty by using the clinical frailty scale (CFS). We analyzed medical records of all patients aged of 75 and older with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 hospitalized in our Hospital between March 3 and April 25, 2020. Standardized variables were prospectively collected, and standardized care were provided to all patients. One hundred and eighty-six patients were included (mean 85.3 ± 5.78 year). The all cause 30-day mortality was 30% (56/186). At admission, dead patients were more dyspneic (57% vs. 38%, p = .014), had more often an oxygen saturation less than 94% (70% vs. 47%, p < .01) and had more often a heart rate faster than 90/min (70% vs. 42%, p < .001). Mortality increased in parallel with CFS score (p = .051) (20 deaths (36%) in 7-9 category). In multivariate analysis, CFS score (odds ratio [OR] = 1.49; confidence interval [CI] 95%, 1.01-2.19; p = .046), age (OR = 1.15; CI 95%, 1.01-1.31; p = .034), and dyspnea (OR = 5.37; CI 95%, 1.33-21.68; p = .018) were associated with all-cause 30-day mortality. It is necessary to integrate the assessment of frailty to determine care management plan of older patients with COVID-19, rather than the only restrictive criterion of age.

SARS-CoV-2 respiratory viral loads and association with clinical and biological features.

To determine the distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) respiratory viral loads (VL) during the acute phase of infection and their correlation with clinical presentation and inflammation-related biomarkers. Nasopharyngeal swabs from 453 adult SARS-CoV-2-infected patients from the Department of Infectious Diseases, Besançon, France, were collected at the time of admission or consultation for reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Clinical information and concentrations of biological parameters (C-reactive protein [CRP], fibrinogen, lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], prealbumin) were noticed. Mean respiratory VL homogeneously decreased from 7.2 log10 copies/ml (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.6-7.8) on the first day of symptoms until 4.6 log10 copies/ml (95% CI: 3.8-5.4) at day 10 (slope = -0.24; R2 = .95). VL were poorly correlated with COVID-19 symptoms and outcome, excepted for dyspnea and anosmia, which were significantly associated with lower VL (p < .05). CRP, fibrinogen, and LDH concentrations significantly increased over the first 10 days (median CRP concentrations from 36.8 mg/L at days 0-1 to 99.5 mg/L at days 8-10; p < .01), whereas prealbumin concentrations tended to decrease. Since SARS-CoV-2 respiratory VL regularly decrease in the acute phase of infection, determining the level of VL may help predicting the onset of virus shedding in a specific patient. However, the role of SARS-CoV-2 VL as a biomarker of severity is limited.

Multimorbidity in Elderly Persons According to the Year of Diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: A Cross-sectional Dat'AIDS Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: We assessed prevalence of multimorbidity (MM) according to year of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis in elderly people living with HIV (PLWH). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of MM in PLWH aged ≥70 years from the Dat'AIDS French multicenter cohort. MM was defined as at least 3 coexistent morbidities of high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, non-AIDS cancer, chronic renal failure, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, obesity, undernutrition, or hypercholesterolemia. Logistic regression models evaluated the association between MM and calendar periods of HIV diagnosis (1983-1996, 1997-2006, and 2007-2018). The secondary analysis evaluated MM as a continuous outcome, and a sensitivity analysis excluded PLWH with nadir CD4 count <200 cells/µL. RESULTS: Between January 2017 and September 2018, 2476 PLWH were included. Median age was 73 years, 75% were men, median CD4 count was 578 cells/µL, and 94% had controlled viremia. MM prevalence was 71%. HBP and hypercholesterolemia were the most prevalent comorbidities. After adjustment for age, gender, smoking status, hepatitis C and hepatitis B virus coinfection, group of exposure, nadir CD4 count, CD4:CD8 ratio, and last CD4 level, calendar period of diagnosis was not associated with MM (P = .169). MM was associated with older age, CD4/CD8 ratio <0.8, and nadir CD4 count <200 cells/µL. Similar results were found with secondary and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: MM prevalence was high and increased with age, low CD4/CD8 ratio, and nadir CD4 count <200 cells/µL but was not associated with calendar periods of HIV diagnosis. Known duration of HIV diagnosis does not seem to be a criterion for selecting elderly PLWH at risk of MM.

Elevated D-dimers and lack of anticoagulation predict PE in severe COVID-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may predispose to venous thromboembolism. We determined factors independently associated with computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA)-confirmed pulmonary embolism (PE) in hospitalised severe COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Among all (n=349) patients hospitalised for COVID-19 in a university hospital in a French region with a high rate of COVID-19, we analysed patients who underwent CTPA for clinical signs of severe disease (oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry ≤93% or breathing rate ≥30 breaths·min-1) or rapid clinical worsening. Multivariable analysis was performed using Firth penalised maximum likelihood estimates. RESULTS: 162 (46.4%) patients underwent CTPA (mean±sd age 65.6±13.0 years; 67.3% male (95% CI 59.5-75.5%). PE was diagnosed in 44 (27.2%) patients. Most PEs were segmental and the rate of PE-related right ventricular dysfunction was 15.9%. By multivariable analysis, the only two significant predictors of CTPA-confirmed PE were D-dimer level and the lack of any anticoagulant therapy (OR 4.0 (95% CI 2.4-6.7) per additional quartile and OR 4.5 (95% CI 1.1-7.4), respectively). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified a D-dimer cut-off value of 2590 ng·mL-1 to best predict occurrence of PE (area under the curve 0.88, p<0.001, sensitivity 83.3%, specificity 83.8%). D-dimer level >2590 ng·mL-1 was associated with a 17-fold increase in the adjusted risk of PE. CONCLUSION: Elevated D-dimers (>2590 ng·mL-1) and absence of anticoagulant therapy predict PE in hospitalised COVID-19 patients with clinical signs of severity. These data strengthen the evidence base in favour of systematic anticoagulation, and suggest wider use of D-dimer guided CTPA to screen for PE in acutely ill hospitalised patients with COVID-19.

Spread of clonal linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis in an intensive care unit associated with linezolid exposure.

The aim of the study was to determine factors associated with spread of linezolid (LNZ)-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU). A case-control study was conducted in one French adult surgical ICU. From January 2012 to December 2016, patients with at least a single positive LNZ-resistant S. epidermidis blood culture were matched to control with LNZ-susceptible S. epidermidis blood culture in a 1:4 manner. Cases were compared to controls regarding baseline clinical characteristics and LNZ exposure before positive blood culture. Bacterial isolates were genotyped by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and MLST. We identified 13 LNZ-resistant S. epidermidis isolates, 1 in 2012, 3 in 2014, 6 in 2015, and 3 in 2016. LNZ use increased steadily from 8 DDDs/100 patient days in 2010 to 19 in 2013 and further decrease by more of 50% in 2015 and 2016. The only independent risk factors associated to LNZ-resistant S. epidermidis isolation were length of stay in ICU before infection (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.07-1.98), prior exposure to LNZ (OR 109; 95% CI 3.9-3034), and Charlson comorbidities score (OR 3.19; 95% CI 1.11-9.14). PFGE typing showed that all LNZ-resistant isolates were clonal belonging to ST2 and that LNZ-susceptible isolates were highly diverse. We report herein that previous exposure to LNZ substantially increased the risk of occurrence of LNZ resistance in S. epidermidis even in the case of clonal spread of LNZ-resistant isolates. These findings highlight the need for reducing the use of LNZ to preserve its efficacy in the future.

Utility of CT scan in patients with initial negative PCR for SARS-CoV2: a report of three cases.

PCR-based viral RNA to confirm the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection has a sensitivity of around 70%. We report three cases of patients with negative initial PCR and CT scan lesions that led us to suspect COVID-19, but which one(s) are really COVID-19?

Epidemiology and risk factors of Staphylococcus aureus CC398 bone and joint infections.

BACKGROUND: A particular ability of the Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 398 (CC398) to cause bone and joint infections (BJI) remains questionable, since some studies have described high prevalence of MSSA CC398 in prosthetic joint infection (PJI) and diabetic foot ostemolyelitis (DFO). Here, we described the long-term epidemiology of CC398 among S. aureus isolated from BJI and identified risk factors associated with CC398. METHODS: We included all bone and joint samples with S. aureus-positive culture in our university hospital between January 2010 and December 2017. Logistic regression was used for univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: We identified 124 CC398 isolates among the 958 BJI-associated S. aureus. The proportion of CC398 among S. aureus increased steadily from 4% in 2010 to 26% in 2017. Only 4 isolates of CC398 were resistant to methicillin. The distribution of BJI types due to CC398 and non CC398 isolates was similar. In multivariate analysis, age (p = 0.034, OR = 3.9), McCabe score (p = 0.005, OR = 5) and inoculation mechanism (p = 0.020, OR = 3.7) were associated with PJI-related CC398. The year of infection (p < 0.001, OR = 1.6), Charlson's score (p = 0.001, OR = 1.5) and grade 4 (severe) of the International Working Group of the Diabetic Foot classification (p < 0.001, OR = 8.5) were associated with DFO-related CC398. CONCLUSION: We highlighted here the emergence and spread of CC398-MSSA in BJI. Patients with comorbidities are at high risk of CC398 MSSA PJI and DFO. The spread of CC398 in the community and hospital settings remains unclear and further epidemiological studies are needed to identify the determinants of its success.

COVID-19 outbreak: organisation of a geriatric assessment and coordination unit. A French example.

Older people are particularly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak because of their vulnerability as well as the complexity of health organisations, particularly in the often-compartmentalised interactions between community, hospital and nursing home actors. In this endemic situation, with massive flows of patients requiring holistic management including specific and intensive care, the appropriate assessment of each patient's level of care and the organisation of specific networks is essential. To that end, we propose here a territorial organisation of health care, favouring communication between all actors. This organisation of care is based on three key points: To use the basis of territorial organisation of health by facilitating the link between hospital settings and geriatric sectors at the regional level.To connect private, medico-social and hospital actors through a dedicated centralised unit for evaluation, geriatric coordination of care and decision support. A geriatrician coordinates this multidisciplinary unit. It includes an emergency room doctor, a supervisor from the medical regulation centre (Centre 15), an infectious disease physician, a medical hygienist and a palliative care specialist.To organise an ad hoc follow-up channel, including the necessary resources for the different levels of care required, according to the resources of the territorial network, and the creation of a specific COVID geriatric palliative care service. This organisation meets the urgent health needs of all stakeholders, facilitating its deployment and allows the sustainable implementation of a coordinated geriatric management dynamic between the stakeholders on the territory.

[Epidemiology of Lyme borreliosis in France - both certainties and uncertainties]. / Épidémiologie de la borréliose de Lyme en France : entre incertitudes et certitudes.

Epidemiological evidence for tick-borne infections, particularly those related to Lyme borreliosis, is heterogeneous. Lyme borreliosis is a tick-born zoonosis transmitted by ticks of the genus Ixodes ricinus. After tick bite, the risk of transmission of an infectious agent remains low, most often represented by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato; co-infections in Humans by several different infectious agents (bacterial, viral or parasitic) are possible but a priori rare. In addition, besides well-known tick-borne pathogens, new species or gender of micro-organisms are regularly described in ticks but their pathogenicity in human pathology is not described or not yet established. The clinical presentation of Lyme borreliosis is varied, with localized and disseminated forms occurring long ago after tick bite, making diagnosis sometimes difficult. The natural course of Lyme borreliosis is insufficiently known because of recommendations of antibiotherapy in case of illness; however, some historical studies seem reassuring with possible spontaneous healing and seemingly minor sequelae. The diagnosis of disseminated forms requires paraclinical examinations, in first place serology, whose sensitivity increases with time of evolution of borreliosis; this is all the more interesting as the disseminated forms are of more difficult clinical diagnosis. After antibiotherapy, the clinical course is good, the sequelae remain possible especially in case of late diagnosis or late disseminated form; however, their frequency remains unknown.

Oral Streptococcal Endocarditis, Oral Hygiene Habits, and Recent Dental Procedures: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND.: We aimed to compare oral hygiene habits, orodental status, and dental procedures in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) according to whether the IE-causing microorganism originated in the oral cavity. METHODS.: We conducted an assessor-blinded case-control study in 6 French tertiary-care hospitals. Oral hygiene habits were recorded using a self-administered questionnaire. Orodental status was analyzed by trained dental practitioners blinded to the microorganism, using standardized clinical examination and dental panoramic tomography. History of dental procedures was obtained through patient and dentist interviews. Microorganisms were categorized as oral streptococci or nonoral pathogens using an expert-validated list kept confidential during the course of the study. Cases and controls had definite IE caused either by oral streptococci or nonoral pathogens, respectively. Participants were enrolled between May 2008 and January 2013. RESULTS.: Cases (n = 73) were more likely than controls (n = 192) to be aged <65 years (odds ratio [OR], 2.85; 95% CI, 1.41-5.76), to be female (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.20-5.74), to have native valve disease (OR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.16-5.13), to use toothpicks, dental water jet, interdental brush, and/or dental floss (OR, 3.48; 95% CI, 1.30-9.32), and to have had dental procedures during the prior 3 months (OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.18-9.29), whereas they were less likely to brush teeth after meals. The presence of gingival inflammation, calculus, and infectious dental diseases did not significantly differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS.: Patients with IE caused by oral streptococci differ from patients with IE caused by nonoral pathogens regarding background characteristics, oral hygiene habits, and recent dental procedures, but not current orodental status.

Impact of baseline plasma HIV-1 RNA and time to virological suppression on virological rebound according to first-line antiretroviral regimen.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the risk of virological rebound in HIV-1-infected patients achieving virological suppression on first-line combined ART (cART) according to baseline HIV-1 RNA, time to virological suppression and type of regimen. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Subjects were 10 836 adults who initiated first-line cART (two nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors + efavirenz, a ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor or an integrase inhibitor) from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2014. Cox proportional hazards models with multiple adjustment and propensity score matching were used to investigate the effect of baseline HIV-1 RNA and time to virological suppression on the occurrence of virological rebound. RESULTS: During 411 436 patient-months of follow-up, risk of virological rebound was higher in patients with baseline HIV-1 RNA ≥100 000 copies/mL versus <100 000 copies/mL, in those achieving virological suppression in > 6 months versus <6 months, and lower with efavirenz or integrase inhibitors than with ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors. Baseline HIV-1 RNA >100 000 copies/mL was associated with virological rebound for ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors but not for efavirenz or integrase inhibitors. Time to virological suppression >6 months was strongly associated with virological rebound for all regimens. CONCLUSIONS: In HIV-1-infected patients starting cART, risk of virological rebound was lower with efavirenz or integrase inhibitors than with ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors. These data, from a very large observational cohort, in addition to the more rapid initial virological suppression obtained with integrase inhibitors, reinforce the positioning of this class as the preferred one for first-line therapy.