Shift of the 2009-2011 measles outbreak from children to adults: an observational review at the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, France.

In 2009-2011, 113 adult in- and outpatients with measles were referred to the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand (centre of France): 71 (62.8 %) needed hospitalisation, 31 had pneumonia, 29 diarrhoea, 47 liver enzymes elevation, 38 thrombopaenia, one encephalitis and there were no deaths. Nineteen cases occurred among healthcare workers and five of them were hospital-acquired. There were 92 unvaccinated patients. The 2011 peak of that measles re-emerging epidemic occurred when non-immunised adults were affected.

Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreak after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Infection is a recognized complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). We describe the epidemiologic and molecular investigations of an outbreak of ERCP-related severe nosocomial infection due to KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted epidemiologic and molecular investigations to identify the source of the outbreak in patients undergoing ERCP. We carried out reviews of the medical and endoscopic charts and microbiological data, practice audits, surveillance cultures of duodenoscopes and environmental sites, and molecular typing of clinical and environmental isolates. RESULTS: Between December 2008 and August 2009, 16 patients were identified post-ERCP with KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE that produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamase type CTX-M-15. There were 8 bloodstream infections, 4 biliary tract infections, and 4 cases of fecal carriage. The microorganism was isolated only from patients who had undergone ERCP. Environmental investigations found no contamination of the washer-disinfectors or the surfaces of the endoscopy rooms. Routine surveillance cultures of endoscopes were repeatedly negative during the outbreak but the epidemic strain was finally isolated from one duodenoscope by flushing and brushing the channels. Molecular typing confirmed the identity of the clinical and environmental strains. Practice audits showed that manual cleaning and drying before storage were insufficient. Strict adherence to reprocessing procedures ended the outbreak. CONCLUSIONS: The endoscopes used for ERCP can act as a reservoir for the emerging ESBL-producing K. PNEUMONIAE. Regular audits to ensure rigorous application of cleaning, high-level disinfection, and drying steps are crucial to avoid contamination.

[Prognostic value of the LRINEC score (Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis) in soft tissue infections: a prospective study at Clermont-Ferrand University hospital]. / Valeur pronostique du score Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis (LRINEC) dans les dermohypodermites infectieuses : étude prospective au CHU de Clermont-Ferrand.

BACKGROUND: The LRINEC score was developed in a retrospective study in order to distinguish necrotizing fasciitis from severe soft tissue infections using laboratory data. AIM: To evaluate the prognostic value of the LRINEC score in infectious cellulitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was performed at the departments of infectious diseases and dermatology of the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital. The three evaluation criteria were: time from initiation of antibiotics to regression of erythema, duration of fever and occurrence of complications (abscess, surgery, septic shock, necrotizing fasciitis, death, transfer to intensive care). Potential predictive variables were: LRINEC score>6 at admission, comorbidities, local appearance, clinical presentation and soft tissue ultrasound results. RESULTS: Fifty patients were included. The rate of complications was higher for patients with a LRINEC score>6 (54%) than for patients with a score<6 (12%, P=0.008). However, a LRINEC score>6 on admission was not significantly associated with increased duration of erythema or of fever. Prior lymphoedema was associated with a better prognosis. DISCUSSION: The LRINEC score may be a useful tool for the detection of complicated forms of soft tissue infections. Patients with a LRINEC score>6 on admission should be carefully evaluated (hospitalization, surgical assessment, close monitoring).

[Role of endovascular treatment of symptomatic splanchnic artery stenoses in HIV patients: report of three cases]. / Place du traitement endovasculaire des sténoses symptomatiques d'artères digestives chez les sujets infectés par le VIH: trois cas.

Patients with HIV or AIDS frequently present with GI symptoms, sometimes due to early and diffuse atherosclerosis. We report 3 cases of HIV patients with abdominal pain due to severe splanchnic arterial stenosis. Only one patient presented typical clinical findings of mesenteric ischemic. Endovascular treatment was performed in all three cases. Good clinical outcome was immediate in 2 cases. In the third case, subsequent bowel resection was required due to irreversible ischemic injury in spite of local thrombolysis and endovascular revascularization in a patient presenting with acute severe mesenteric ischemia. In all three cases, vascular patency was demonstrated at follow-up. Mesenteric ischemia is a severe complication requiring early diagnosis in HIV patients, especially those with vascular risk factors, especially since endovascular treatment is a valid therapeutic option.

[Role of indoor endotoxins in asthma symptoms]. / Rôle des endotoxines de l'environnement intérieur dans les symptômes asthmatiques.

INTRODUCTION: Endotoxin is a collective term designating a characteristic group of chemical constituents of the outer membrane of Gram negative bacteria, the lipopolysaccharides (LPS). BACKGROUND: LPS provocation tests in healthy subjects (50 microg) induce asthma-like airflow obstruction with a neutrophilic inflammatory influx, similar to reactions observed in non-atopic asthma. Asthmatic subjects show the same reaction with smaller doses of LPS (20 microg), revealing higher sensitivity to LPS than normal subjects. Low levels (2 microg) of LPS do not induce either airflow obstruction or bronchial hyperreactivity. Among exposed workers, particularly in agriculture, endotoxin is the most significant component of the bioaerosol that is associated with airway disease. In clinical studies, exposure to LPS is associated with severe asthma. Conversely, epidemiological studies, in both urban and rural areas, assessing the relationship between exposure to LPS and asthma and asthma- related symptoms are inconsistent. PERSPECTIVES: Longitudinal epidemiological studies, especially in farm children, may confirm the putative protective effects of LPS with respect to atopic asthma. CONCLUSION: Exposure to indoor LPS is frequently associated with asthma and asthma-like symptoms in current studies. Their definitive role needs to be confirmed by birth cohort studies currently under way that should define the controversial protective effect of LPS with respect to atopic asthma in farming populations.

Hepatitis B in Moroccan health care workers.

AIM: To evaluate knowledge and perception of hepatitis B, including prevention, among Moroccan health care workers (HCWs) and to estimate seroprevalence of hepatitis B and vaccine coverage (VC). METHODS: Four hundred and twenty HCWs were randomly selected and stratified by site: 120 in Rabat, 140 in Taza and 160 in Témara-Skhirat. The study included an anonymous questionnaire about knowledge of hepatitis B and its prevention and a serological survey. Oral statements and vaccine registers were used to analyse the VC of the HCWs. Serological testing and VC were analysed according to the occupational exposure. RESULTS: Participation rates in the questionnaire and serological tests were 68% (285/420) and 66% (276/420), respectively. Fifteen (5%) HCWs had a history of hepatitis B. All HCWs considered that hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection may be acquired through blood exposure. Vaccination was acknowledged as a necessary means against HBV transmission by 276 (98%) HCWs. Forty-two per cent HCWs had no HBV serological markers. The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen was 1%. The mean prevalence of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) was 28% and was significantly higher (P < 0.05) among nursing auxiliaries (57%), nurses (30%), medical physicians (31%) and midwives (25%) than among laboratory technicians (13%). According to the vaccination registers (available in two sites), VC (> or =3 doses) was 55%. VC was 75% among midwives, 61% among nurses, 53% among nursing auxiliaries and 38% among medical staff. Of the fully vaccinated HCWs without anti-HBc, 51% had serological evidence of protection. CONCLUSION: HBV vaccines should be more readily available for Moroccan HCWs by reinforcing current vaccination programmes.

[Potential nosocomial disseminated infection due to Nocardia asteroides after a prosthesis insertion in an immunocompetent patient]. / Nocardiose disséminée nosocomiale probable après chirurgie prothétique ostéoarticulaire chez un patient immunocompétent.

Nocardia infections are rare and usually occurred in immunocompromised patients with systemic dissemination from a lung infection. We report a case of an immunocompetent patient in whom Nocardia asteroides had cause psoas and cerebral abcess without pulmonary infection, a short period after a hip prosthesis insertion. The clinical history is highly suggestive of a hospital-acquired infection.

[Thromboembolic events at the time of highly active antiretroviral therapies against human immunodeficiency virus]. / Evénements thromboemboliques à l'ère des trithérapies antirétrovirales hautement actives contre le virus de l'immunodéficience humaine.

PURPOSE: Vein thrombosis risk and pulmonary embolism seem to be more important among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. METHOD: We performed a retrospective study including 780 HIV positive patients followed-up between January 2000 and June 2005 at the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand. RESULTS: Among the 780 HIV-infected patients, six cases of thromboembolic events were identified including, four with pulmonary embolism. All the patients were receiving lopinavir/ritonavir combination. CONCLUSION: Although uncommon, pulmonary embolism occurs more frequently among HIV positive patients than in general population. Clinicians must remain aware about the possibility of the occurrence of a thromboembolic event especially during the first few months after introduction of the antiretroviral therapy.

[Relation between the level of knowledge and the rate of vaccination against the flu virus among the staff of the Clermont-Ferrand University hospital]. / Relation entre le niveau de connaissance et le taux de vaccination contre le virus de la grippe parmi le personnel du CHU de Clermont-Ferrand.

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study was to determine how much staff at the Clermont-Ferrand university hospital, France, knew about influenza and its relation with the vaccinal rate. The other aim was to develop better-targeted information campaigns and prevention policy in the work place. DESIGN: A self-administered questionnaire was sent to the 7601 salaried staff of the hospital in May 2005. The staff was asked to give details on socioprofessional characteristics, vaccinal status, and knowledge about the influenza virus (mode of transmission, contagiousness, measures of prevention, populations affected, mortality, vaccination schedule, and vaccination target populations). Multiple-choice questions on knowledge of influenza were scored according to the answer given. RESULTS: The response rate was 26.5%. The 2011 completed questionnaires were representative of the working staff. They showed a positive correlation between the rate of vaccination and knowledge of influenza, with a 0.98 coefficient. They also showed that the staff was very largely unaware of population groups most at risk for influenza (1% of correct answers). CONCLUSIONS: Primary prevention campaigns will only be effective if the target population has a better awareness of the issues involved. This study highlights the areas in which knowledge was heterogeneous or inadequate, and the information that could be decisive in increasing vaccinal coverage among staff. This information should focus on modes of transmission, contagiousness, mortality, and above all on populations at risk.

The epidemiology and virology of hepatitis C virus genotype 5 in central France.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported high prevalence of hepatitis C virus genotype 5a (HCV 5) (14%) in Central France. AIM: To identify the risk factors associated with HCV5 infection and to characterize local HCV5 lineages. METHOD: A case-control study and phylogenetic analysis were conducted. RESULTS: In all, 131 HCV5 and 343 HCV non 5 infected patients were enrolled. No HCV5 patient was born in sub-Saharan Africa and only two were injection drug user. HCV5 contamination was associated with living in a rural area called Vic le Comte (VLC) in non-transfused patients (OR = 17.7), with transfusion in patients living outside VLC (OR = 3.8) and with receiving injections in patients from VLC (OR = 3.1). More than 80% of the patients from outside VLC were contaminated by transfusion and those from VLC mainly by an iatrogenic factor - injections performed before 1972 by the local physician. Phylogenetic analysis of HCV5 isolates evidenced no distinct genetic cluster, but close relationships between the isolates of spouse pairs and between blood donors and recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that HCV5 spread in our district by iatrogenic route before 1972 and then via transfusion to the whole district. Collaborative studies are underway to study viral sequences from different parts of Africa and Europe to estimate the origin of our HCV 5a strains.

Safety and immunogenicity of subcutaneous or intramuscular administration of a monovalent inactivated vaccine against Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae in healthy volunteers.

The safety and immunogenicity of a monovalent inactivated vaccine against Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae was evaluated in 84 volunteers according to the route of administration, i.e., subcutaneous (SC) or intramuscular (IM), in a double-blind randomised trial. The volunteers were randomised into four groups: SC vaccine; IM vaccine; SC placebo; and IM placebo. Primary vaccination comprised two injections on day 0 and day 14, with a booster after 6 months. A second booster was given 30 months after primary vaccination. Local reactions within 1 h of injections were rare, with no difference between vaccine groups. Local reactions within 3 h were more frequent after the second, third and fourth SC injections than after IM injections. Systemic reactions never occurred within 1 h of vaccination and were rare within 3 days; the rates were comparable for the different vaccine groups. Evolution of the antibody responses, as assessed by microscopic agglutination tests and specific IgG and IgM ELISAs, were similar for both injection routes. IgG seroconversion rates after the first booster were 97% (95% CI 80-100%) for the SC vaccine group, and 96% (95% CI 80-100%) for the IM vaccine group, and both reached 100% for IgG after the second booster. The safety and immunogenicity of the anti-leptospiral vaccine were both good. Monitoring of antibody levels established that a booster dose triggered a strong antibody response in fully vaccinated subjects at 30 months after primary vaccination.

[Kawasaki disease is also a disease of adults: report of six cases]. / La maladie de Kawasaki est aussi une maladie de l'adulte: a propos de six observations.

Kawasaki disease is an inflammatory arterial disease of unknown cause usually affecting young children, the principal complication of which is coronary artery aneurysm. Early treatment with immunoglobulins and aspirin prevents this complication. The diagnosis requires expert clinical criteria and, in atypical forms, a more recent decisional diagnostic tree has to be used. The authors report 6 cases of adult Kawasaki disease. As in the other sixty or so cases in the literature, hepatic forms were the commonest (5/6). Only three of the six cases met the classical clinical criteria and the diagnosis was made by the decisional tree or after coronary complications in the oldest subject. The five treated patients progressed favourably after a course of immunoglobulins. Echocardiography detected 100% of children with coronary disease but it was more difficult in adults in whom new non-invasive methods of coronary imaging (fast CT and MRI) and stress testing should complete the investigations. The association of prolonged pyrexia, clinical criteria and a biological inflammatory syndrome should, after exclusion of the differential diagnoses, suggest a diagnosis of Kawasaki disease in the adult as in the child. The possibility of coronary disease, even though extremely rare, should be recognised by the cardiologist and lead to diagnostic and therapeutic managements as aggressive as in children.

[Should presumptive meningoencephalitis treatment in adults be active against Mycoplasma pneumoniae?]. / Le traitement de première intention d'une méningoencéphalite de l'adulte doit-il tenir compte de Mycoplasma pneumoniae?

INTRODUCTION: Meningoencephalitis is the most common central nervous system complication caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Its frequency is probably underestimated. OBJECTIVE: The study's aim was to determine the retrospectively incidence of M. pneumoniae meningoencephalitis among other cases of encephalitis diagnosed in infectiology, neurology and ICU at the Clermont-Ferrand University hospital in 2004 and 2005. DESIGN: A case of meningoencephalitis was defined by encephalopathy (altered level of consciousness and/or change in personality), with one or more of the following symptoms: fever, seizure, focal neurological findings, meningitis, electroencephalography or neuroimaging findings consistent with encephalitis. Tumor and hematoma diagnosed by scan were excluded. M. pneumoniae was considered as a possible cause when patients had positive serological test (IgM Elisa) and/or positive PCR results for the CSF. RESULTS: Four (8.3%) patients among 48 cases of encephalitis could have been caused by M. pneumoniae. All except one convulsed initially. Pneumopathy was found in two patients. All received a specific treatment later. Antibiotics seemed to influence evolution in only two patients. These 4 cases appeared during an epidemic between November 2004 and August 2005: 48 hospitalized adults had positive serological test for M. pneumoniae in 2005 and 15 in 2004, whereas the number of tests was the same in 2004 and in 2005. CONCLUSIONS: M. pneumoniae should be investigated as a cause of meningoencephalitis if initial tests are negative, if patients have respiratory symptoms and in case of epidemic. Presumptive treatment of meningoencephalitis should include an antibiotic active against M. pneumoniae.

Outbreak of colonization and infection with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in a French university hospital.

An outbreak of infection with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium occurred at Hotel-Dieu Hospital (Clermont-Ferrand, France). A case-control study was performed in the infectious diseases and hematology units of the hospital. Urinary catheter use (odds ratio [OR], 12 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.5-90]; P<.02), prior exposure to a third-generation cephalosporin (OR, 22 [95% CI, 3-152]; P=.002), and prior exposure to antianaerobials (OR, 11 [95% CI, 1.5-88]; P<.02) were independently predictive of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium carriage.

[Cryptococcal meningitis disclosed by visual loss in HIV negative patient with ventriculo-atrial shunting]. / Cryptococcose neuroméningée révélée par une baisse de l'acuité visuelle chez un patient atteint de neurosarcoïdose et porteur d'une dérivation ventriculoatriale.

INTRODUCTION: HIV infection is the main cause of cryptococcal neuromeningitis but other diseases may be associated with this infection. CASE REPORT: We report a case of cryptococcal neuromeningitis in a patient with sarcoidosis and ventriculoatrial shunting. The patient was successfully treated by effective therapy without device withdrawal. CONCLUSION: The relationship between cryptococcosis and sarcoïdosis has been already described and may be not fortuitous. However it remains a very rare complication of sarcoidosis. Because of its potential severity (mortality rate of 40%), the diagnosis of cryptococcosis should be evoked as a differential diagnosis of neuro-sarcoidosis.

[Carcinoma cuniculatum: an uneasy diagnosis to suspect in case of chronic osteomyelitis with unsuccessful outcome despite appropriate antibiotic therapy]. / Carcinome cuniculatum: un diagnostic difficile, à évoquer devant une ostéite chronique d'évolution défavorable sous traitement.

INTRODUCTION: The clinical and histological features of cuniculatum carcinoma (CC) are often misleading. CASE REPORT: We report a case of CC of the foot, which was misdiagnosed as osteomyelitis for a two year period and which relapsed 2 months after complete resection. DISCUSSION: The CC has to be evoked in patients with chronic osteomyelitis and torpid wound. The anatomopathologist needs to be aware of the suspected diagnosis.

[Idiopathic intrahepatic portosytemic shunts in 4 children]. / Anastomoses portosystémiques intrahépatiques idiopathiques: à propos de 4 observations.

Intrahepatic portosystemic anastomoses are macroscopic communications between the venous portal system and the systemic circulation and located partly in the liver. We report 4 new cases of type II shunts, which illustrate the circumstances of the diagnosis of these exceptional anomalies. For 2 children, the diagnosis was done antenataly by US and spontaneous involution in a few months was observed. In the third case the malformation was evidenced fortuitously at 3 weeks of life, and this 6-year-old child remains completely asymptomatic so far. Then, in the fourth case, a cerebral venous thrombosis was fortuitously and antenatally evidenced in an otherwise uneventful pregnancy and portosystemic shunt was demonstrated postnataly in the extensive work up of the neonate.

[From prospective molecular diagnosis of enterovirus meningitis...to the prevention of antibiotic resistance]. / Du diagnostic moléculaire initial prospectif des méningites à entérovirus...à la lutte contre l'antibiorésistance.

Meningitis initially presents with intense manifestations that are not generally specific to a given etiology. The first major question for the physician is to decide whether to initiate a probabilistic treatment. Enteroviruses are a major cause of aseptic meningitis, which is benign in immunocompetent patients. Molecular diagnosis is now becoming the gold standard and its prospective use at the time of patient admission, on the sole basis of clinical suspicion of meningitis, has yielded more reliable data. Cytological and biochemical data from CSF analyses are of low predictive value to influence the initial decision to treat with antibiotics. In addition, cases of meningitis during winter are not uncommon. Adults are concerned in about 25% of cases. Thus, if molecular diagnostic tools are not rapidly available, patient management may be inconsistent, leading to unnecessary scans, laboratory investigations and treatment (including overconsumption of antibiotics). Current progress in the automation and practicability of viral genomic detection yields the result within a few hours after admission. Rapid molecular viral diagnosis of a benign disease that does not require treatment but which is initially worrying is of unquestionable advantage. It is of benefit to both the patient and the community because of its input on health economics, the needless consumption of drugs and, as a result, resistance to antibiotics. The diagnosis of meningitis can no longer remain a retrospective diagnosis after elimination of all the possible causes, since not prescribing unnecessary laboratory tests and not treating are true therapeutic decisions.

[Non Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's lymphomas and HIV: frequency, outcome and immune response under HAART; Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, 1991-2003]. / Lymphomes non hodgkiniens et hodgkiniens et infection VIH: fréquence, pronostic et reconstitution immune sous trithérapie antirétrovirale; CHU de Clermont-Ferrand, 1991-2003.

OBJECTIVES: The authors had for aim to identify cases of non Hodgkin's (NHL) and Hodgkin's (HL) lymphomas in HIV1-infected patients to assess 1) their incidence, before and after 1996, 2) the clinical features and outcome under treatment together with the survival rate of the patients, 3) the immune reconstitution of lymphoma-free patients under HAART. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was made of HIV1-infected patients managed at the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital from 1991 to 2003 for the diagnosis and treatment of HIV1-related lymphomas. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were included: 35 NHL and 6 HL giving a cumulative incidence rate estimate from 2.4% between 1991 and 1996 to 3.4% between 1997 and 2003 while other opportunistic diseases were decreasing. A high proportion of aggressive and disseminated disease was observed among NHL cases. Complete remission was achieved in 17 (49%) and 5 (83%) NHL and HL cases respectively. The mean survival was 109+/-54 months and was correlated with CD4 cell count at lymphoma diagnosis (univariate analysis). Among responding patients, 5 died: 3 from opportunistic infections, 1 commited suicide, and 1 from hepatic carcinoma. For responding patients, the mean increase of CD4 cell count under HAART was 58/mm3 over a 2 year-period and 192/mm3 over a 5 year-period of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of lymphomas in HIV-infected patients has not decreased since the introduction of HAART. The immune status assessed by CD4 cell count on diagnosis is correlated with survival. Immune restoration in lymphoma-free patients under HAART is poor.

Prevalence of aortic valve dystrophy and insufficiency in a cohort of 255 HIV-positive patients followed-up in a cardiology department between 2012 and 2014.

OBJECTIVES: To study valve appearance and the presence of valve disease in a cohort of people living with HIV (PLHIV). DESIGN: A prospective study of PLHIV examined at the cardiology department of the Clermont Ferrand university hospital group (CHU) between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2014. Were excluded those with a history of infection associated with a possible endocarditis. METHODS: Demographic, medical characteristics and cardiovascular disease risk factors at time of cardiovascular examination and Doppler-echocardiography were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 903 PLHIV were examined in the infectious diseases department, 255 of whom were included. These consisted of 67 women (26.3%) and 188 men, of a mean age of 51.2±9.7years, in whom coronary artery disease was diagnosed in 18 patients (7.0%), two women and 16 men, representing a prevalence of 3.0% in females and 8.5% in males. The appearance of the aortic cusps was considered dystrophic in 14.1% of cases (36/255), dysplastic in two cases (0.8%), exhibiting a bicuspid deformity in one case. The prevalence of aortic valve abnormality was therefore 6.0% in the women (4/67) and 17.0% in the men (32/188). On facing off this data with the Kora Monica study findings, an increase in prevalence appears only to truly manifest after 50years of age. We registered 35 aortic insufficiency cases (13.7%), representing a higher incidence than that of the Framingham cohort, with age and masculine gender being the determining factors. CONCLUSION: Valve disease, along with coronary artery disease, should be closely monitored in PLHIV.