One-year survival of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage after airplane transatlantic transfer - a monocenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is preferentially treated by prompt endovascular coiling, which is not available in Guadeloupe. Subsequently, patients are transferred to Paris, France mainland, by commercial airplane (6751 km flight) after being managed according to guidelines. This study describes the characteristics, management and outcomes related to these patients. METHODS: Retrospective observational cohort study of 148 patients admitted in intensive care unit for a suspected aSAH and transferred by airplane over a 10-year period (2010-2019). RESULTS: The median [interquartile range] age was 53 [45-64] years and 61% were female. On admission, Glasgow coma scale was 15 [13-15], World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) grading scale was 1 [1-3] and Fisher scale was 4 [2-4]. External ventricular drainage and mechanical ventilation were performed prior to the flight respectively in 42% and 47% of patients. One-year mortality was 16% over the study period. By COX logistic regression analysis, acute hydrocephalus (hazard ratio [HR] 2.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98-5.58) prior to airplane transfer, WFNS grading scale on admission (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.16-2.02) and age (OR 1.03, 95% 1.00-1.07) were associated with one-year mortality. CONCLUSION: When necessary, transatlantic air transfer of patients with suspected aSAH after management according to local guidelines seems feasible and safe.

Cefoxitin versus carbapenems as definitive treatment for extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia in intensive care unit: a propensity-matched retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite cefoxitin's in vitro resistance to hydrolysis by extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), treatment of ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) infections with cefoxitin remains controversial. The aim of our study was to compare the clinical efficacy of cefoxitin as definitive antibiotic therapy for patients with ESBL-KP bacteremia in intensive care unit, versus carbapenem therapy. METHODS: This retrospective study included all patients with monomicrobial bacteremia hospitalized in intensive care unit between January 2013 and January 2023 at the University Hospital of Guadeloupe. The primary outcome was the 30-day clinical success defined as a composite endpoint: 30-day survival, absence of relapse and no change of antibiotic therapy. Cox regression including a propensity score (PS) and PS-based matched analysis were performed for endpoint analysis. RESULTS: A total of 110 patients with bloodstream infections were enrolled. Sixty-three patients (57%) received definitive antibiotic therapy with cefoxitin, while forty-seven (43%) were treated with carbapenems. 30-day clinical success was not significantly different between patients treated with cefoxitin (57%) and carbapenems (53%, p = 0.823). PS-adjusted and PS-matched analysis confirmed these findings. Change of definitive antibiotic therapy was more frequent in the cefoxitin group (17% vs. 0%, p = 0.002). No significant differences were observed for the other secondary endpoints. The acquisition of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was significantly higher in patients receiving carbapenem therapy (5% vs. 23%, p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that cefoxitin as definitive antibiotic therapy could be a therapeutic option for some ESBL-KP bacteremia, sparing carbapenems and reducing the selection of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains.

Factors related to mortality in critically ill histoplasmosis: a multicenter retrospective study in Guadeloupe and French Guyana.

PURPOSE: To describe clinical and biological features and the outcomes of patients admitted for histoplasmosis in two intensive care units (ICU) in French Guyana and in the French West Indies (Guadeloupe). METHODS: All patients admitted to these two ICUs for culture-proven histoplasmosis between January 2014 to August 2022 were included in the study. Using univariate and multivariate analysis, we assessed risk factors at ICU admission that were associated with death. RESULTS: Forty patients were included (65% men). Median age was 56 years and simplified acute physiologic score (SAPS) II was 65. HIV was found in 58%, another immunodeficiency was identified in 28%, and no underlying immunodeficiency could be identified in 14% of patients. Within the first 24 h of ICU admission, 85% of patients had acute respiratory failure, 78% had shock, 30% had coma, and 48% had hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Mechanical ventilation was instituted in 78% of patients and renal replacement therapy in 55%. The 30-day mortality was 53%. By multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with 30-day mortality were SOFA score (odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.1-2.1]), time between symptom onset and treatment per day (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.1), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (OR 6.4, 95% CI 1.1-47.5). CONCLUSION: Histoplasmosis requiring ICU admission is a protean disease with multiple and severe organ involvement. Immunodeficiency is found in most patients. The prognosis remains severe despite appropriate treatment and is worsened by late treatment initiation.

Catastrophic COVID-19 Delta Variant Surge in French West Indies: Report of an ICU Triage Policy.

OBJECTIVES: Here, we report the management of a catastrophic COVID-19 Delta variant surge, which overloaded ICU capacity, using crisis standards of care (CSC) based on a multiapproach protocol. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: University Hospital of Guadeloupe. PATIENTS: This study retrospectively included all patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia between August 11, 2021, and September 10, 2021, and were eligible for ICU admission. INTERVENTION: Based on age, comorbidities, and disease severity, patients were assigned to three groups: Green (ICU admission as soon as possible), Orange (ICU admission after the admission of all patients in the Green group), and Red (no ICU admission). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among the 328 patients eligible for ICU admission, 100 (30%) were assigned to the Green group, 116 (35%) to the Orange group, and 112 (34%) to the Red group. No patient in the Green group died while waiting for an ICU bed, whereas 14 patients (12%) in the Orange group died while waiting for an ICU bed. The 90-day mortality rates were 24%, 37%, and 78% in the Green, Orange, and Red groups, respectively. A total of 130 patients were transferred to the ICU, including 79 from the Green group, 51 from the Orange group, and none from the Red group. Multivariate analysis revealed that among patients admitted to the ICU, death was independently associated with a longer time between ICU referral and ICU admission, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, and the number of comorbidities, but not with triage group. CONCLUSIONS: CSC based on a multiapproach protocol allowed admission of all patients with a good prognosis. Higher mortality was associated with late admission, rather than triage group.

Emergence of a Novel Lineage and Wide Spread of a blaCTX-M-15/IncHI2/ST1 Plasmid among Nosocomial Enterobacter in Guadeloupe.

Between April 2018 and August 2019, a total of 135 strains of Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) were randomly collected at the University Hospital Center of Guadeloupe to investigate the structure and diversity of the local bacterial population. These nosocomial isolates were initially identified genetically by the hsp60 typing method, which revealed the clinical relevance of E. xiangfangensis (n = 69). Overall, 57/94 of the third cephalosporin-resistant strains were characterized as extended-spectrum-ß-lactamase (ESBL) producers, and their whole-genome was sequenced using Illumina technology to determine the clonal relatedness and diffusion of resistance genes. We found limited genetic diversity among sequence types (STs). ST114 (n = 13), ST1503 (n = 9), ST53 (n = 5) and ST113 (n = 4), which belong to three different Enterobacter species, were the most prevalent among the 57 ESBL producers. The blaCTXM-15 gene was the most prevalent ESBL determinant (56/57) and was in most cases associated with IncHI2/ST1 plasmid replicon carriage (36/57). To fully characterize this predominant blaCTXM-15/IncHI2/ST1 plasmid, four isolates from different lineages were also sequenced using Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology to generate long-reads. Hybrid sequence analyses confirmed the circulation of a well-conserved plasmid among ECC members. In addition, the novel ST1503 and its associated species (ECC taxon 4) were analyzed, in view of its high prevalence in nosocomial infections. These genetic observations confirmed the overall incidence of nosocomial ESBL Enterobacteriaceae infections acquired in this hospital during the study period, which was clearly higher in Guadeloupe (1.59/1000 hospitalization days) than in mainland France (0.52/1,000 hospitalization days). This project revealed issues and future challenges for the management and surveillance of nosocomial and multidrug-resistant Enterobacter in the Caribbean.

Childhood encephalitis in the Greater Mekong region (the SouthEast Asia Encephalitis Project): a multicentre prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Encephalitis is a worldwide public health issue, with a substantially high burden among children in southeast Asia. We aimed to determine the causes of encephalitis in children admitted to hospitals across the Greater Mekong region by implementing a comprehensive state-of-the-art diagnostic procedure harmonised across all centres, and identifying clinical characteristics related to patients' conditions. METHODS: In this multicentre, observational, prospective study of childhood encephalitis, four referral hospitals in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar recruited children (aged 28 days to 16 years) who presented with altered mental status lasting more than 24 h and two of the following minor criteria: fever (within the 72 h before or after presentation), one or more generalised or partial seizures (excluding febrile seizures), a new-onset focal neurological deficit, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell count of 5 per mL or higher, or brain imaging (CT or MRI) suggestive of lesions of encephalitis. Comprehensive diagnostic procedures were harmonised across all centres, with first-line testing was done on samples taken at inclusion and results delivered within 24 h of inclusion for main treatable causes of disease and second-line testing was done thereafter for mostly non-treatable causes. An independent expert medical panel reviewed the charts and attribution of causes of all the included children. Using multivariate analyses, we assessed risk factors associated with unfavourable outcomes (ie, severe neurological sequelae and death) at discharge using data from baseline and day 2 after inclusion. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04089436, and is now complete. FINDINGS: Between July 28, 2014, and Dec 31, 2017, 664 children with encephalitis were enrolled. Median age was 4·3 years (1·8-8·8), 295 (44%) children were female, and 369 (56%) were male. A confirmed or probable cause of encephalitis was identified in 425 (64%) patients: 216 (33%) of 664 cases were due to Japanese encephalitis virus, 27 (4%) were due to dengue virus, 26 (4%) were due to influenza virus, 24 (4%) were due to herpes simplex virus 1, 18 (3%) were due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 17 (3%) were due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, 17 (3%) were due to enterovirus A71, 74 (9%) were due to other pathogens, and six (1%) were due to autoimmune encephalitis. Diagnosis was made within 24 h of admission to hospital for 83 (13%) of 664 children. 119 (18%) children had treatable conditions and 276 (42%) had conditions that could have been preventable by vaccination. At time of discharge, 153 (23%) of 664 children had severe neurological sequelae and 83 (13%) had died. In multivariate analyses, risk factors for unfavourable outcome were diagnosis of M tuberculosis infection upon admission (odds ratio 3·23 [95% CI 1·04-10·03]), coma on day 2 (2·90 [1·78-4·72]), supplementary oxygen requirement (1·89 [1·25-2·86]), and more than 1 week duration between symptom onset and admission to hospital (3·03 [1·68-5·48]). At 1 year after inclusion, of 432 children who were discharged alive from hospital with follow-up data, 24 (5%) had died, 129 (30%) had neurological sequelae, and 279 (65%) had completely recovered. INTERPRETATION: In southeast Asia, most causes of childhood encephalitis are either preventable or treatable, with Japanese encephalitis virus being the most common cause. We provide crucial information that could guide public health policy to improve diagnostic, vaccination, and early therapeutic guidelines on childhood encephalitis in the Greater Mekong region. FUNDING: Institut Pasteur, Institut Pasteur International Network, Fondation Merieux, Aviesan Sud, INSERM, Wellcome Trust, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), and Fondation Total.

Immunoglobulin M seroneutralization for improved confirmation of Japanese encephalitis virus infection in a flavivirus-endemic area.

BACKGROUND: The mainstay of diagnostic confirmation of acute Japanese encephalitis (JE) involves detection of anti-JE virus (JEV) immunoglobulin M (IgM) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Limitations in the specificity of this test are increasingly apparent with the introduction of JEV vaccinations and the endemicity of other cross-reactive flaviviruses. Virus neutralization testing (VNT) is considered the gold standard, but it is challenging to implement and interpret. We performed a pilot study to assess IgG depletion prior to VNT for detection of anti-JEV IgM neutralizing antibodies (IgM-VNT) as compared with standard VNT. METHODS: We evaluated IgM-VNT in paired sera from anti-JEV IgM ELISA-positive patients (JE n=35) and negative controls of healthy flavivirus-naïve (n=10) as well as confirmed dengue (n=12) and Zika virus (n=4) patient sera. IgM-VNT was subsequently performed on single sera from additional JE patients (n=76). RESULTS: Anti-JEV IgG was detectable in admission serum of 58% of JE patients. The positive, negative and overall percentage agreement of IgM-VNT as compared with standard VNT was 100%. A total of 12/14 (86%) patient samples were unclassified by VNT and, with sufficient sample available for IgG depletion and IgG ELISA confirming depletion, were classified by IgM-VNT. IgM-VNT enabled JE case classification in 72/76 (95%) patients for whom only a single sample was available. CONCLUSIONS: The novel approach has been readily adapted for high-throughput testing of single patient samples and it holds promise for incorporation into algorithms for use in reference centres.

Very late intubation in COVID-19 patients: a forgotten prognosis factor?

Description of all consecutive critically ill COVID 19 patients hospitalized in ICU in University Hospital of Guadeloupe and outcome according to delay between steroid therapy initiation and mechanical ventilation onset. Very late mechanical ventilation defined as intubation after day 7 of dexamethasone therapy was associated with grim prognosis and a high mortality rate of 87%.

Viral RNA Degradation Makes Urine a Challenging Specimen for Detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Patients With Suspected CNS Infection.

BACKGROUND: Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a leading cause of central nervous system (CNS) infections in Asia and results in significant morbidity and mortality. JEV RNA is rarely detected in serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and diagnosis of JEV infection is usually based on serological tests that are frequently difficult to interpret. Unlike serum or CSF, urine is relatively easy to obtain, but, to date, there has been minimal work on the feasibility of testing urine for JEV RNA. METHODS: We investigated the use of lysis buffer and a Microsep device to optimize urine storage for detection of JEV RNA by reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The best of the studied methods was then evaluated in consecutive patients admitted to the hospital with suspected CNS infections in Laos. RESULTS: We demonstrated degradation of JEV RNA in urine after even short storage periods at 4°C or -80°C. Although there was no advantage in using a Microsep concentration device alone, immediate addition of lysis buffer to fresh urine improved the detection of JEV RNA at the limit of detection. CONCLUSIONS: In 2 studies of 41 patients with acute encephalitis syndrome, 11 (27%) were positive for JEV IgM in CSF and/or serum, and 2 (4.9%) were JEV RT-qPCR positive from throat swabs. JEV RNA was not detected in any of these patients' urine samples. However, lysis buffer was only used during a prospective study, that is, for only 17/41 (41%) patient urine samples. Our findings suggest a need for larger studies testing urine for JEV RNA, with urine collected at different times from symptom onset, and using lysis buffer, which stabilizes RNA, for storage.

Metabolic syndrome and endocrine status in HIV-infected transwomen.

BACKGROUND: HIV-infected transwomen face multiple specific issues. Economic and social marginalization, sex work, substance abuse, hormonal consumption and silicone injection may affect the course of HIV infection and lead to metabolic and endocrine complications. METHODS: A matched case-control study was performed between 2013 and 2015 in a University Hospital and compared metabolic syndrome (MetS), thyroid and adrenal functions in HIV-infected transwomen (i.e. cases) and cisgender HIV-infected men (i.e. controls) matched for age and antiretroviral therapy. The interaction between hormonal consumption, the course of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy was also studied. Clinical and biological data (CD4 cell count, HIV RNA load, antiretroviral plasma drug concentration, HDL, triglycerides, glucose, cortisol, thyroid stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, prolactine) were measured. RESULTS: A total of 292 HIV-infected patients (100 cases and 192 controls) were prospectively included. There was no difference between the two populations in terms of frequency of MetS, but subclinical hypothyroidism and adrenal insufficiency were more frequent in cases than in controls with, respectively, 12 vs. 3% (P < 0.002) for hypothyroidism and 20 vs. 8% (P < 0.001) for adrenal insufficiency. Prolactinemia, only performed in transwomen, was often elevated (21%) but rarely confirmed as true active hyperprolactinemia (monomeric form) (3%). Although hormonal intake was frequent among transwomen (31%), no impact on antiretroviral bioavailability and efficacy was detected. CONCLUSION: In this study, no increase in the prevalence of MetS was detected in HIV-infected transwomen patients. In contrast, adrenal and thyroid functions abnormalities were frequent and should be systematically assessed in this population. No impact of hormonal intake on antiretroviral bioavailability and efficacy was detected.

Detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus RNA in Human Throat Samples in Laos - A Pilot study.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the most commonly identified cause of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Asia. The WHO recommended test is anti-JEV IgM-antibody-capture-enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay (JEV MAC-ELISA). However, data suggest this has low positive predictive value, with false positives related to other Flavivirus infections and vaccination. JEV RT-PCR in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or serum is highly specific, but is rarely positive; 0-25% of patients that fulfil the WHO definition of JE (clinical Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and JEV MAC-ELISA positive). Testing other body fluids by JEV RT-qPCR may improve the diagnosis. As a pilot study thirty patients admitted to Mahosot Hospital 2014-2017, recruited to the South-East-Asia-Encephalitis study, were tested by JEV MAC-ELISA and two JEV real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) assays (NS2A and NS3). Eleven (36.7%) were JEV MAC-ELISA positive. Available CSF and serum samples of these patients were JEV RT-qPCR negative but 2 (7%) had JEV RNA detected in their throat swabs. JEV RNA was confirmed by re-testing, and sequencing of RT-qPCR products. As the first apparent report of JEV RNA detection in human throat samples, the provides new perspectives on human JEV infection, potentially informing improving JEV detection. We suggest that testing patients' throat swabs for JEV RNA is performed, in combination with molecular and serological CSF and serum investigations, on a larger scale to investigate the epidemiology of the presence of JEV in human throats. Throat swabs are an easy and non-invasive tool that could be rolled out to a wider population to improve knowledge of JEV molecular epidemiology.

Isolation and full-genome sequences of Japanese encephalitis virus genotype I strains from Cambodian human patients, mosquitoes and pigs.

Japanese encephalitis remains the most important cause of viral encephalitis in humans in several southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, causing at least 65 000 cases of encephalitis per year. This vector-borne viral zoonosis - caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) - is considered to be a rural disease and is transmitted by mosquitoes, with birds and pigs being the natural reservoirs, while humans are accidental hosts. In this study we report the first two JEV isolations in Cambodia from human encephalitis cases from two studies on the aetiology of central nervous system disease, conducted at the two major paediatric hospitals in the country. We also report JEV isolation from Culextritaeniorhynchus mosquitoes and from pig samples collected in two farms, located in peri-urban and rural areas. Out of 11 reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction-positive original samples, we generated full-genome sequences from 5 JEV isolates. Five additional partial sequences of the JEV NS3 gene from viruses detected in five pigs and one complete coding sequence of the envelope gene of a strain identified in a pig were generated. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that JEV detected in Cambodia belonged to genotype I and clustered in two clades: genotype I-a, mainly comprising strains from Thailand, and genotype I-b, comprising strains from Vietnam that dispersed northwards to China. Finally, in this study, we provide proof that the sequenced JEV strains circulate between pigs, Culex tritaeniorhynchus and humans in the Phnom Penh vicinity.