Anorectal lymphogranuloma venereum among men who have sex with men: a 3-year nationwide survey, France, 2020 to 2022.

BackgroundIn France, lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) testing switched from universal to selective testing in 2016.AimTo investigate changes in LGV-affected populations, we performed a nationwide survey based on temporarily reinstated universal LGV testing from 2020 to 2022.MethodsEach year, during three consecutive months, laboratories voluntarily sent anorectal Chlamydia trachomatis-positive samples from men and women to the National Reference Centre for bacterial sexually transmitted infections. We collected patients' demographic, clinical and biological data. Genovars L of C. trachomatis were detected using real-time PCR. In LGV-positive samples, the ompA gene was sequenced.ResultsIn 2020, LGV positivity was 12.7% (146/1,147), 15.2% (138/907) in 2021 and 13.3% (151/1,137) in 2022 (p > 0.05). It occurred predominantly in men who have sex with men (MSM), with rare cases among transgender women. The proportion of HIV-negative individuals was higher than that of those living with HIV. Asymptomatic rectal LGV increased from 36.1% (44/122) in 2020 to 52.4% (66/126) in 2022 (p = 0.03). Among users of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), LGV positivity was 13.8% (49/354) in 2020, 15.6% (38/244) in 2021 and 10.9% (36/331) in 2022, and up to 50% reported no anorectal symptoms. Diversity of the LGV ompA genotypes in the Paris region increased during the survey period. An unexpectedly high number of ompA genotype L1 variant was reported in 2022.ConclusionIn rectal samples from MSM in France, LGV positivity was stable, but the proportion of asymptomatic cases increased in 2022. This underscores the need of universal LGV testing and the importance of continuous surveillance.

The Mortality of Infective endocarditis with and without Surgery in Elderly (MoISE) Study.

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis (IE) is increasingly affecting older patients. However, data on their management are sparse, and the benefits of surgery in this population are unclear. METHODS: We included patients with left-sided IE (LSIE) aged ≥ 80 years enrolled in a prospective endocarditis cohort managed in Aquitaine, France, from 2013 to 2020. Geriatric data were collected retrospectively to identify factors associated with the 1-year risk of death using Cox regression. RESULTS: We included 163 patients with LSIE (median age, 84 years; men, 59%; rate of prosthetic LSIE, 45%). Of the 105 (64%) patients with potential surgical indications, 38 (36%) underwent valve surgery: they were younger, more likely to be men with aortic involvement, and had a lower Charlson comorbidity index. Moreover, they had better functional status at admission (ie, the ability to walk unassisted and a higher median activities of daily living [ADL] score; n = 5/6 vs 3/6, P = .01). The 1-year mortality rate in LSIE patients without surgical indications was 28%; it was lower in those who were operated on compared with those who were not despite a surgical indication (16% vs 66%, P < .001). Impaired functional status at admission was strongly associated with mortality regardless of surgical status. In patients unable to walk unassisted or with an ADL score <4, there was no significant surgical benefit for 1-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery improves the prognosis of older patients with LSIE and good functional status. Surgical futility should be discussed in patients with altered autonomy. The endocarditis team should include a geriatric specialist.

Case Studies and Literature Review of Francisella tularensis-Related Prosthetic Joint Infection.

Tularemia is a zoonotic infection caused by Francisella tularensis. Its most typical manifestations in humans are ulceroglandular and glandular; infections in prosthetic joints are rare. We report 3 cases of F. tularensis subspecies holarctica-related prosthetic joint infection that occurred in France during 2016-2019. We also reviewed relevant literature and found only 5 other cases of Francisella-related prosthetic joint infections worldwide, which we summarized. Among those 8 patients, clinical symptoms appeared 7 days to 19 years after the joint placement and were nonspecific to tularemia. Although positive cultures are typically obtained in only 10% of tularemia cases, strains grew in all 8 of the patients. F. tularensis was initially identified in 2 patients by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry; molecular methods were used for 6 patients. Surgical treatment in conjunction with long-term antimicrobial treatment resulted in favorable outcomes; no relapses were seen after 6 months of follow-up.

Food-borne botulism outbreak during the Rugby World Cup linked to marinated sardines in Bordeaux, France, September 2023.

In September 2023, a botulism outbreak affecting 15 individuals occurred in Bordeaux, France, during the Rugby World Cup. We report on eight individuals from four different countries on two continents admitted to the intensive care unit at our hospital, where six required invasive mechanical ventilation. Cases reported consuming locally produced canned sardines at a restaurant. This report highlights the importance of rapid, worldwide alerts from health authorities to prevent severe consequences of such outbreaks, particularly during events attracting international visitors.

An unexpected case of Borrelia garinii liver infection.

BACKGROUND: Lyme borreliosis is the most prevalent arthropod-borne infection in the Northern Hemisphere. In Europe, Borrelia afzelii is predominantly involved in cutaneous manifestations, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia bavariensis in neurological manifestations, and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in articular ones. Liver impairement is not classical in Lyme borreliosis. Diagnosis is currently mainly based on serological testing, and is challenging in immunocompromised patients. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the first case of B. garinii infection revealed by liver involvement in an immunocompromised man. A 73-year-old man with marginal zone lymphoma, treated with bendamustine and rituximab, developed intermittent fever and inflammatory syndrome. Microbial investigations were all negative and FDG-PET showed complete remission of the lymphoma. Three months later, liver biopsy was performed and histology revealed spirochetes-like bacteria. Microbial diagnosis was performed by 16S rDNA sequencing, flagellin (flaB) gene sequencing and multi-locus sequence typing and identified B. garinii. The patient recovered successfully after a three weeks course of antibiotics. Diagnosis was challenging because Borrelia hepatic involvement is unusual and no erythema migrans nor tick bite were notified. CONCLUSION: This case highlights that unexplained fever and inflammatory syndrome in immunocompromised patients warrants specific investigations to identify bacteria such as spirochetes.

Identification of 16S rRNA mutations in Mycoplasma genitalium potentially associated with tetracycline resistance in vivo but not selected in vitro in M. genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis.

OBJECTIVES: Tetracyclines are widely used for the treatment of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and recently have been used successfully for post-exposure prophylaxis of STIs in MSM. We investigated the in vitro and in vivo development of tetracycline resistance in Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium and evaluated 16S rRNA mutations associated with acquired resistance in other bacteria. METHODS: In vitro selection of resistant mutants of reference strains of C. trachomatis and M. genitalium was undertaken by serial passage in medium containing subinhibitory concentrations of tetracycline or doxycycline, respectively. The 16S rRNA gene of the two microorganisms was amplified and sequenced at different passages, as were those of 43 C. trachomatis- and 106 M. genitalium-positive specimens collected in France from 2013 to 2019. RESULTS: No tetracycline- or doxycycline-resistant strains of C. trachomatis and M. genitalium, respectively, were obtained after 30 serial passages. The tetracycline and doxycycline MICs were unchanged and analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, the molecular target of tetracyclines, of C. trachomatis and M. genitalium revealed no mutation. No mutation in the 16S rRNA gene was detected in C. trachomatis-positive specimens. However, six M. genitalium-positive specimens harboured a mutation potentially associated with tetracycline resistance without known prior tetracycline treatment for patients. CONCLUSIONS: Tetracyclines did not select in vitro-resistant mutants of C. trachomatis or M. genitalium. However, 16S rRNA mutations either responsible for or associated with tetracycline resistance in other bacteria, including mycoplasma species, were identified in several M. genitalium-positive specimens.

Management of patients with pulmonary mycobacteriosis in France: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies report very low adherence of practitioners to ATS/IDSA recommendations for the treatment of nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease (NTM-PD), as well as a great variability of practices. Type of management could impact prognosis. METHODS: To evaluate management and prognosis of patients with NTM-PD cases with respect to ATS recommendations, we conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study (18 sentinel sites distributed throughout France), over a period of six years. We collected clinical, radiological, microbiological characteristics, management and outcome of the patients (especially death or not). RESULTS: 477 patients with NTM-PD were included. Respiratory comorbidities were found in 68% of cases, tuberculosis sequelae in 31.4% of patients, and immunosuppression in 16.8% of cases. The three most common NTM species were Mycobacterium avium complex (60%), M. xenopi (20%) and M. kansasii (5.7%). Smear-positive was found in one third of NTM-PD. Nodulobronchiectatic forms were observed in 54.3% of cases, and cavitary forms in 19.1% of patients. Sixty-three percent of patients were treated, 72.4% of patients with smear-positive samples, and 57.5% of patients with smear-negative samples. Treatment was in adequacy with ATS guidelines in 73.5%. The 2-year mortality was 14.4%. In the Cox regression, treatment (HR = 0.51), age (HR = 1.02), and M. abscessus (3.19) appeared as the 3 significant independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the adequacy between French practices and the ATS/IDSA guidelines. Treatment was associated with a better survival.

Prevalence of lymphogranuloma venereum among anorectal Chlamydia trachomatis-positive MSM using pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the prevalence of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) in anorectal Chlamydia trachomatis-positive French men who have sex with men (MSM) using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV. Here, we describe the clinical, biological and behavioural characteristics of these patients. METHODS: Laboratories throughout French metropolitan areas performing routine testing for C. trachomatis sent positive anorectal specimens to the National Reference Centre for bacterial STIs for LGV real-time PCR targeting the pmpH gene. Identification of the C. trachomatis genovar was performed by ompA gene sequencing. For each patient, clinical, biological and sexual behaviour data were collected after obtaining written informed consent. RESULTS: In 2017, 486 anorectal C. trachomatis-positive specimens from MSM PrEP users were analysed. A strain of genovar L was detected in 91 cases (18.7%). Patients with LGV were significantly more symptomatic, had more sexual partners and more concurrent syphilis compared with their non-LGV counterparts. OmpA gene sequencing, successful in two-thirds of anorectal C. trachomatis-positive specimens, showed that the LGV cases were mainly of variant L2b (n=33), followed by genovar L2 (n=27) and genetic L2b ompA variants (n=16). In 11 cases, the results indicated the occurrence of genetic exchange between L and non-L genovars. CONCLUSIONS: LGV was diagnosed in 18.7% of anorectal C. trachomatis-positive specimens from French MSM using PrEP. LGV testing should be carried out for MSM diagnosed with chlamydia and with a large number of sexual partners, high-risk practices and anorectal symptoms. These patients should be presumptively treated as having LGV. This is the first surveillance study of LGV among MSM PrEP users and monitoring should continue.

Changing Pattern of Chlamydia trachomatis Strains in Lymphogranuloma Venereum Outbreak, France, 2010-2015.

We describe a change in the molecular epidemiology of Chlamydia trachomatis strains involved in an outbreak of rectal lymphogranuloma venereum in France during January 2010-April 2015. Until 2012, the C. trachomatis L2b strain predominated; however, starting in 2013, most cases involved the L2 strain. We also identified 4 genetic L2b ompA variants.

Direct detection of macrolide resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium isolates from clinical specimens from France by use of real-time PCR and melting curve analysis.

Mycoplasma genitalium is a sexually transmitted organism commonly treated with azithromycin. However, macrolide resistance has been reported and is associated with point mutations in the 23S rRNA gene. To evaluate the prevalence of macrolide resistance in M. genitalium isolates from clinical specimens from France, we first used a previously reported high-resolution melting assay. Because susceptible and resistant M. genitalium isolates were hardly discriminated in M. genitalium-positive clinical specimens, we developed a new molecular assay for the rapid detection of macrolide resistance. An assay using real-time PCR based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) coupled with melting curve analysis was designed. The assay was first validated on characterized macrolide-resistant M. genitalium isolates and then applied to 202 urogenital M. genitalium-positive specimens collected from 178 patients from France in 2011 and 2012. Resistant genotypes were confirmed by 23S rRNA gene sequencing. Among the 202 M. genitalium-positive specimens, 155 were amplified, demonstrating a sensitivity of 76.7%. A substitution in the 23S rRNA gene was found in 14.2% of the patient samples. Nine and six patients had M. genitalium isolates with a substitution at positions 2059 and 2058, respectively. In four cases, a mixed population of wild-type and mutated M. genitalium isolates was observed. The prevalence of M. genitalium macrolide resistance has been stable in France since its detection in 2006. Our FRET PCR assay is able to discriminate between wild-type and resistant genotypes directly from clinical specimens. This assay will allow clinicians to shorten the time to the initiation of effective disease treatment.

Current Mycoplasma pneumoniae outbreak: Don't forget its role in Bickerstaff encephalitis.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in children and young adults. It is responsible of a broad array of extrapulmonary manifestations, the most severe affecting the central nervous system. We report a challenging diagnosis of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae-induced Bickerstaff encephalitis in a 16-year-old man.

Clinical features and treatment outcomes of bone and joint nontuberculous mycobacterial infections according to immune status: a 9-year retrospective observational cohort.

OBJECTIVES: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) bone and joint infections (BJIs) are uncommon. We evaluated the characteristics of BJIs and identified differences according to immune status. METHODS: We performed a multicenter retrospective study in France involving patients with documented NTM BJI over a 9-year period. We collected the clinical and microbiological characteristics, management, and clinical outcomes of the patients. RESULTS: Overall, 95 patients were included, of whom 50.5% (48/95) were immunosuppressed. Tenosynovitis was more frequent in the immunocompetent group, and native arthritis more common in the immunosuppressed group. Mycobacerium marinum and M. abscessus complex were significantly more frequent in the immunocompetent group, and M. avium and M. xenopi were significantly more frequent in the immunosuppressed group. The combination of antibiotherapy with surgery tended to be more frequent in the immunocompetent than the immunosuppressed group (63.8% (30/47) vs 47.8% (22/46), respectively); of the latter, 45.7% (21/46) received antimicrobial therapy alone, a higher frequency than in the immunocompetent group (23.4%, 11/47). The median duration of antimicrobial treatment was similar in the two groups (11 months). Mortality was significantly higher in the immunosuppressed group. CONCLUSIONS: Although the clinical presentations and the NTM species involved in BJI differed according to immune status, most recovered completely after treatment.

Diversity of Mycoplasma hominis clinical isolates from Bordeaux, France, as assessed by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma hominis is an opportunistic human mycoplasma species that can cause various urogenital infections and, less frequently, extragenital infections. The objective of this work was to study the genetic diversity of this species using a molecular typing method based on multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA). RESULTS: The genome content of M. hominis PG21 was analysed for tandem repeats (TRs), and five of the 130 TRs identified were selected for use in an MLVA assay. The method was based on GeneScan analysis of VNTR loci using multiplex PCR with fluorescent dyes and resolution by capillary electrophoresis. This approach was used on a collection of 210 urogenital and extragenital French clinical isolates collected between 1987 and 2009. Forty MLVA types were found. The discriminatory index of our MLVA scheme was 0.924. Using this new typing tool, persistent infection was suggested for six patients and new infection for one patient. Furthermore, mother-to-child transmission was confirmed in the two cases studied. Application of MLVA to a wide range of M. hominis isolates revealed high genotypic diversity and no obvious link between the MLVA type and the isolate year of collection, the patient's age or sex, the anatomical origin of the isolates or resistance to antibiotics was found. CONCLUSIONS: Our MLVA scheme highlights the high genetic heterogeneity of the M. hominis species. It seems too discriminatory to be used for large epidemiological studies but has proven its usefulness for molecular studies at the individual level.

Effects of azithromycin and doxycycline on the vaginal microbiota of women with urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infection: a substudy of the Chlazidoxy randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Dysbiotic bacterial communities within the vagina are associated with Chlamydia trachomatis infection. We compared the effect of treatment with azithromycin and doxycycline on the vaginal microbiota in a cohort of women with a urogenital C. trachomatis infection randomly assigned to one of these treatments (Chlazidoxy trial). METHODS: We analysed vaginal samples from 284 women (135 in the azithromycin group and 149 in the doxycycline group) collected at baseline and 6 weeks after treatment initiation. The vaginal microbiota was characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and classified into community state types (CSTs). RESULTS: At baseline, 75% (212/284) of the women had a high-risk microbiota (CST-III or CST-IV). A cross-sectional comparison 6 weeks after treatment showed that 15 phylotypes were differentially abundant, but this difference was not reflected at the CST (p 0.772) or diversity level (p 0.339). Between baseline and the 6-week visit, α-diversity (p 0.140) and transition probabilities between CSTs were not significantly different between the groups, and no phylotype was differentially abundant. DISCUSSION: In women with urogenital C. trachomatis infection, the vaginal microbiota does not seem to be affected by azithromycin or doxycycline 6 weeks after treatment. Because the vaginal microbiota remains susceptible to C. trachomatis infection (with CST-III or CST-IV) after antibiotic treatment, women remain at risk of reinfection, which could originate from unprotected sexual intercourse or untreated anorectal C. trachomatis infection. This last consideration advocates for the use of doxycycline instead of azithromycin because of its higher anorectal microbiological cure rate.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Mycobacterium bovis at the Human-Animal-Ecosystem Interface in France: "A One Health Approach".

Mycobacterium bovis infects cattle and wildlife, and also causes a small proportion of tuberculosis cases in humans. In most European countries, M. bovis infections in cattle have been drastically reduced, but not eradicated. Here, to determine the M. bovis circulation within and between the human, cattle, and wildlife compartments, we characterized by spoligotyping and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) typing the genetic diversity of M. bovis isolates collected from humans, cattle, and wildlife in France from 2000 to 2010. We also assessed their genetic structure within and among the different host groups, and across time and space. The M. bovis genetic structure and its spatiotemporal variations showed different dynamics in the human and animal compartments. Most genotypes detected in human isolates were absent in cattle and wildlife isolates, possibly because in patients, M. bovis infection was contracted abroad or was the reactivation of an old lesion. Therefore, they did not match the genetic pool present in France during the study period. However, some human-cattle exchanges occurred because some genotypes were common to both compartments. This study provides new elements for understanding M. bovis epidemiology in France, and calls for increased efforts to control this pathogen worldwide.

Multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis-confirmed emergence of a macrolide resistance-associated mutation in Mycoplasma pneumoniae during macrolide therapy for interstitial pneumonia in an immunocompromised child.

A child with Job's syndrome was treated for pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. A mixed population of wild-type bacteria and an A2059G mutant was detected during josamycin treatment failure. The same multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) type (MLVA type I) was isolated before and after treatment failure. The child recovered after ciprofloxacin treatment.