Benjamin Wyplosz

High Rate of Acquisition but Short Duration of Carriage of Multidrug-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae After Travel to the Tropics

BACKGROUND Multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (MRE) are widespread in the community, especially in tropical regions. Travelers are at risk of acquiring MRE in these regions, but the precise extent of the problem is not known. METHODS From February 2012 to April 2013, travelers attending 6 international vaccination centers in the Paris area prior to traveling to tropical regions were asked to provide a fecal sample before and after their trip. Those found to have acquired MRE were asked to send fecal samples 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months after their return, or until MRE was no longer detected. The fecal relative abundance of MRE among all Enterobacteriaceae was determined in each carrier. RESULTS Among 824 participating travelers, 574 provided fecal samples before and after travel and were not MRE carriers before departure. Of these, 292 (50.9%) acquired an average of 1.8 MRE. Three travelers (0.5%) acquired carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The acquisition rate was higher in Asia (142/196 [72.4%]) than in sub-Saharan Africa (93/195 [47.7%]) or Latin America (57/183 [31.1%]). MRE acquisition was associated with the type of travel, diarrhea, and exposure to β-lactams during the travel. Three months after return, 4.7% of the travelers carried MRE. Carriage lasted longer in travelers returning from Asia and in travelers with a high relative abundance of MRE at return. CONCLUSIONS MRE acquisition is very frequent among travelers to tropical regions. Travel to these regions should be considered a risk factor of MRE carriage during the first 3 months after return, but not beyond. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT01526187.

HIV-associated vascular diseases: Structural and functional changes, clinical implications

After more than two decades of AIDS epidemic, the spectrum of HIV-associated vascular diseases has mainly evolved from infectious and inflammatory vasculitides to premature atherosclerosis, its related contributing conditions (metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance syndrome) and complications (acute coronary and cerebrovascular syndromes). Today, as the AIDS epidemic further progresses worldwide and as the life expectancy of HIV-infected patients treated with effective antiviral regimens has dramatically increased, more than 10% of patients experience cardiovascular manifestations. The complex interplay between viral infection, inflammatory and cytokines pathways, protease inhibitors-induced hyperlipidemia and direct effects on endothelial cells has not, by far, been integrated in a single comprehensive pathogenesis network. However, recognition of its main components has resulted in a broader appreciation of cardiovascular risk and risk factors in HIV-infected/treated patients. Cardiovascular prevention is required in more than one half of HIV-infected/treated patients to achieve a reliable effectiveness of modern antiretroviral therapy. As the prognosis of HIV patients improves continuously, this rate is also likely to increase in the future.

Probable intrafamily transmission of a highly virulent CTX-M-3-producing Escherichia coli belonging to the emerging phylogenetic subgroup D2 O102-ST405 clone

References 1 Novick RP. Autoinduction and signal transduction in the regulation of staphylococcal virulence. Mol Microbiol 2003; 48: 1429–49. 2 Kuroda M, Kuroda H, Oshima T et al. Two-component system VraSR positively modulates the regulation of cell-wall biosynthesis pathway in Staphylococcus aureus. Mol Microbiol 2003; 49: 807–21. 3 Meehl M, Herbert S, Gotz F et al. Interaction of the GraRS two-component system with the VraFG ABC transporter to support vancomycin-intermediate resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2007; 51: 2679–89. 4 Komatsuzawa H, Fujiwara T, Nishi H et al. The gate controlling cell wall synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus. Mol Microbiol 2004; 53: 1221–31. 5 Nishi H, Komatsuzawa H, Fujiwara T et al. Reduced content of lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol in the cytoplasmic membrane affects susceptibility to moenomycin, as well as vancomycin, gentamicin, and antimicrobial peptides, in Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2004; 48: 4800–7. 6 Berger-Bachi B, Rohrer S. Factors influencing methicillin resistance in staphylococci. Arch Microbiol 2002; 178: 165–71. J Antimicrob Chemother 2010 doi:10.1093/jac/dkq155 Advance publication 13 May 2010

Delayed-Onset Hemolytic Anemia in Patients with Travel-Associated Severe Malaria Treated with Artesunate, France, 2011–2013

Hemolysis occurred in a low proportion of patients and did not increase transfusion requirements.

Fatal measles pneumonitis during Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The treatment of measles pneumonitis in immunocompromised adults is not established. We describe a patient with Hodgkins lymphoma who developed acute pneumonia during a measles infection. On day 13, intravenous ribavirin and immunoglobulins were administrated. On day 18, the patient developed acute respiratory failure. An examination of transbronchial pulmonary biopsies showed Warthin-Finkeldey giant cells that are pathognomonic of measles pneumonitis. The patient died despite aggressive supportive care. Our case and a review of literature show that measles pneumonitis is routinely fatal in patients with cancer. We suggest that antiviral drugs should be considered as soon as the diagnosis has been established.

Cerebrovascular Diseases in HIV-Infected Patients

Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) has early been recognized in HIV-infected patients, including infectious arteritis, inflammatory vasculitis, aneurismal and small-vessel arteriopathy, to which adds now the premature atherosclerotic cerebral arteriopathy associated with the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-induced metabolic disorders. As a result of the increased life-expectancy associated with HAART, HIV patients grow older and are exposed to the combined vascular risk of antiviral-induced metabolic changes and advancing age. Several studies have documented subclinical cervical artery atherosclerosis, as assessed by intima-media thickness, ultrasound detection of carotid artery plaques and intracerebral small-vessel disease, all being associated with the induced metabolic changes. This suggests that vascular prevention should be performed on a long-term basis.

Initial human herpesvirus-8 rash and multicentric Castleman disease.

We describe a human immunodeficiency virus-infected man with relapsing rashes and reactivation of human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection, which evolved into multicentric Castleman disease. Initial skin biopsy revealed infiltrating HHV-8-positive plasmablasts, a subset of which supported lytic infection. We document the first case, to our knowledge, of HHV-8-induced rash and suggest that circulating plasmablasts drive HHV-8 to target tissues.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi Microsporidiosis in Stem Cell Transplant Recipients Treated with Fumagillin1

Enterocytozoon bieneusi microsporidiosis is an emerging disease in immunocompromised patients. We report 2 cases of this disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients successfully treated with fumagillin. Thrombocytopenia occurred but without major adverse events. Modifications of immunosuppression could be avoided when E. bieneusi is rapidly identified and fumagillin therapy is started promptly.

Early and delayed post-pneumonectomy empyemas: Microbiology, management and prognosis

Post‐pneumonectomy empyema (PPE) is the most severe complication of pneumonectomy. Microbiology and its impact on management and prognosis have rarely been reported

CHRONOVAC VOYAGEUR: A study of the immune response to yellow fever vaccine among infants previously immunized against measles

For administration of multiple live attenuated vaccines, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends either simultaneous immunization or period of at least 28days between vaccines, due to a possible reduction in the immune response to either vaccine. The main objective of this study was to compare the immune response to measles (alone or combined with mumps and rubella) and yellow fever vaccines among infants aged 6-24months living in a yellow fever non-endemic country who had receivedmeasles and yellow fever vaccines before travelling to a yellow fever endemic area. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A retrospective, multicenter case-control study was carried out in 7 travel clinics in the Paris area from February 1st 2011 to march 31, 2015. Cases were defined as infants immunized with the yellow fever vaccine and with the measles vaccine, either alone or in combination with mumps and rubella vaccine, with a period of 1-27days between each immunization. For each case, two controls were matched based on sex and age: a first control group (control 1) was defined as infants having received the measles vaccine and the yellow fever vaccine simultaneously; a second control group (control 2) was defined as infants who had a period of more than 27days between receiving the measles vaccine and yellow fever vaccine. The primary endpoint of the study was the percentage of infants with protective immunity against yellow fever, measured by the titer of neutralizing antibodies in a venous blood sample. RESULTS One hundred and thirty-one infants were included in the study (62 cases, 50 infants in control 1 and 19 infants in control 2). Of these, 127 (96%) were shown to have a protective titer of yellow fever antibodies. All 4 infants without a protective titer of yellow fever antibodies were part of control group 1. DISCUSSION The measles vaccine, alone or combined with mumps and rubella vaccines, appears to have no influence on humoral immune response to the yellow fever vaccine when administered between 1 and 27days. The absence of protective antibodies against yellow fever was observed only among infants who received both vaccines simultaneously. CONCLUSION These results may support a revision of current vaccination recommendations concerning the administration of these two live attenuated vaccines either on the same day or at least 28days apart. Our findings show no statistically significant difference if the interval between both vaccines is more than 24 h, but the immune response seems to be reduced when the two vaccines are given at the same time.