Endograft-preserving therapy of a patient with Coxiella burnetii-infected abdominal aortic aneurysm: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p><it>Coxiella burnetii</it>, the causative agent of Q fever, may cause endocarditis and vascular infections that result in severe morbidity and mortality. We report a case of a <it>C. burnetii</it>-infected abdominal aorta and its management in a patient with a previous endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 62-year-old Caucasian man was admitted to our hospital three months after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair with a bifurcated stent graft. He had increasing abdominal complaints and general malaise. A computed tomography scan of his abdomen revealed several para-aneurysmal abscesses. Surgery was performed via midline laparotomy. The entire abdominal wall of his aneurysmal sac, including the abscesses, was removed. The vascular endoprosthesis showed no macroscopic signs of infection. The decision was made to leave the endograft in place because of the severe cardiopulmonary comorbidities, thereby avoiding suprarenal clamping and explantation of this device with venous reconstruction. The proximal and distal parts of the endograft were secured to the aortic wall and common iliac artery walls, respectively, to avoid future migration. Polymerase chain reaction for <it>C. burnetii </it>was positive in all specimens of aortic tissue. Specific antibiotic therapy was initiated. Our patient was discharged in good clinical condition after six days.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In our patient, the infection was limited to the abdominal aneurysm wall, which was removed, leaving the endograft in place. Vascular surgeons should be familiar with this bailout procedure in high-risk patients.</p

Lovastatin Protects against Experimental Plague in Mice

Background: Plague is an ectoparasite-borne deadly infection caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium classified among the group A bioterrorism agents. Thousands of deaths are reported every year in some African countries. Tetracyclines and cotrimoxazole are used in the secondary prophylaxis of plague in the case of potential exposure to Y. pestis, but cotrimoxazole-resistant isolates have been reported. There is a need for additional prophylactic measures. We aimed to study the effectiveness of lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug known to alleviate the symptoms of sepsis, for plague prophylaxis in an experimental model. Methodology: Lovastatin dissolved in Endolipide was intraperitoneally administered to mice (20 mg/kg) every day for 6 days prior to a Y. pestis Orientalis biotype challenge. Non-challenged, lovastatin-treated and challenged, untreated mice were also used as control groups in the study. Body weight, physical behavior and death were recorded both prior to infection and for 10 days post-infection. Samples of the blood, lungs and spleen were collected from dead mice for direct microbiological examination, histopathology and culture. The potential antibiotic effect of lovastatin was tested on blood agar plates. Conclusions/Significance: Lovastatin had no in-vitro antibiotic effect against Y. pestis. The difference in the mortality between control mice (11/15; 73.5%) and lovastatin-treated mice (3/15; 20%) was significant (P,0.004; Mantel-Haensze

Imported malaria in pregnancy in Madrid

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria in pregnancy is associated with maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality in endemic areas, but information on imported cases to non-endemic areas is scarce.</p> <p>The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of malaria in pregnancy in two general hospitals in Madrid, Spain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Retrospective descriptive study of laboratory-confirmed malaria in pregnant women at the Fuenlabrada University Hospital and the Príncipe de Asturias University Hospital, in Madrid, over a six- and 11-year period, respectively. Relevant epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data was obtained from medical records.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 19 pregnant women among 346 malaria cases (5.4%). The average age was 27 years. The gestational age (trimester) was: 53% 3^rd, 31% 1st, 16% 2^nd. All but one were multigravidae. Three were HIV positive. All were sub-Saharan immigrants: two were recently arrived immigrants and seventeen (89%) had visited friends and relatives. None had taken prophylaxis nor seeked pre-travel advice. Presentation: 16 symptomatic patients (fever in fourteen, asthenia in two), three asymptomatic. Median delay in diagnosis: 7.5 days. Laboratory tests: anaemia (cut off Hb level 11 g/dl) 78.9% (mild 31.6%, moderate 31.6%, severe 15.8%) thrombocytopaenia 73.7%, hypoglycaemia 10.5%. All cases were due to <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>, one case of hyperparasitaemia. Quinine + clindamycin prescribed in 84%. Outcomes: no severe maternal complications or deaths, two abortions, fifteen term pregnancies, no low-birth-weight newborns, two patients were lost to follow-up.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Though cases of malaria in pregnancy are uncommon, a most at risk group is clearly defined: young sub-Saharan mothers visiting friends and relatives without pre-travel counselling and recently-arrived immigrants. The most common adverse maternal and foetal effects were anaemia and stillbirth. Given that presentation can be asymptomatic, malaria should always be considered in patients with unexplained anaemia arriving from endemic areas. These findings could help Maternal Health programme planners and implementers to target preventive interventions in the immigrant population and should create awareness among clinicians.</p

e-Pilly TROP Maladies infectieuses tropicales

L’e-Pilly TROP est un ouvrage d’infectiologie tropicale destiné aux médecins et aux étudiants en médecine des pays francophones du Sud. La prise en compte des différents niveaux de la pyramide sanitaire dans ces pays le rend aussi accessible aux infirmiers des centres de santé communautaires urbains et des structures de santé intermédiaires des zones rurales. Par définition, les Pays En Développement accroissant progressivement leurs capacités de diagnostic biologique et de traitement, les outils de prise en charge correspondent aux moyens des niveaux périphériques comme à ceux des niveaux hospitaliers de référence

Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of the global response of Wolbachia to doxycycline-induced stress

The bacterium Wolbachia (order Rickettsiales), representing perhaps the most abundant vertically transmitted microbe worldwide, infects arthropods and filarial nematodes. In arthropods, Wolbachia can induce reproductive alterations and interfere with the transmission of several arthropod-borne pathogens. In addition, Wolbachia is an obligate mutualist of the filarial parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis in the tropics. Targeting Wolbachia with tetracycline antibiotics leads to sterilisation and ultimately death of adult filariae. However, several weeks of treatment are required, restricting the implementation of this control strategy. To date, the response of Wolbachia to stress has not been investigated, and almost nothing is known about global regulation of gene expression in this organism. We exposed an arthropod Wolbachia strain to doxycycline in vitro, and analysed differential expression by directional RNA-seq and label-free, quantitative proteomics. We found that Wolbachia responded not only by modulating expression of the translation machinery, but also by upregulating nucleotide synthesis and energy metabolism, while downregulating outer membrane proteins. Moreover, Wolbachia increased the expression of a key component of the twin-arginine translocase (tatA) and a phosphate ABC transporter ATPase (PstB); the latter is associated with decreased susceptibility to antimicrobials in free-living bacteria. Finally, the downregulation of 6S RNA during translational inhibition suggests that this small RNA is involved in growth rate control. Despite its highly reduced genome, Wolbachia shows a surprising ability to regulate gene expression during exposure to a potent stressor. Our findings have general relevance for the chemotherapy of obligate intracellular bacteria and the mechanistic basis of persistence in the Rickettsiales

Clinical decision rules for acute bacterial meningitis: current insights

Alain Viallon,1 Elisabeth Botelho-Nevers,2 Fabrice Zeni3 1Emergency Department, 2Department of Infectious Disease, 3Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Saint-Etienne, France Abstract: Acute community-acquired bacterial meningitis (BM) requires rapid diagnosis so that suitable treatment can be instituted within 60 minutes of admitting the patient. The cornerstone of diagnostic examination is lumbar puncture, which enables microbiological analysis and determination of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytochemical characteristics. However, microbiological testing is not sufficiently sensitive to rule out this diagnosis. With regard to the analysis of standard CSF cytochemical characteristics (polymorphonuclear count, CSF glucose and protein concentration, and CSF:serum glucose), this is often misleading. Indeed, the relatively imprecise nature of the cutoff values for these BM diagnosis markers can make their interpretation difficult. However, there are two markers that appear to be more efficient than the standard ones: CSF lactate and serum procalcitonin levels. Scores and predictive models are also available; however, they only define a clinical probability, and in addition, their use calls for prior validation on the population in which they are used. In this article, we review current methods of BM diagnosis. Keywords: meningitis, diagnosis, emergenc

Barriers and motivations to volunteers’ participation in preventive vaccine trials: a systematic review

Introduction: The recruitment of volunteers in preventive vaccine trials (PVT) is a challenge, since vaccine hesitancy and debates on vaccines are combined to usual difficulties of enrollment in clinical trials. Areas covered: Current knowledge of the reasons leading to the volunteers’ participation or non-participation in PVT mainly focuses on data from preventive HIV vaccine trials. A systematic PubMed search was conducted using PRISMA guidelines to identify articles or reviews that reported barriers and motivations to participation in PVT regardless of the targeted disease or population. Expert commentary: In view of the barriers and motivations reviewed here, improvements in recruitment could be made through a better explanation of the prevented disease, of the expected individual and collective benefit and of all ethical protective principles associated to the trials. Use of decision aids as well as patient and public involvement may improve given information and may enhance comprehension of participants and their participation in PVT. Further prospective and interventional studies are needed to analyze if these leads may improve acceptation level in PVT

Statins limit Rickettsia conorii infection in cells

Recent data suggest that statins may have a beneficial effect during sepsis. In this study, we tested the effect of lovastatin and pravastatin on the cellular culture of Rickettsia conorii using a quantitative plaque assay model associated with an original image analysis algorithm. Statins added at the time of infection did not modify plaque formation, whereas pre-incubation with statins for 48 h resulted in a significant 30-68% plaque reduction, depending on the tested compounds and doses. These preliminary findings raise the hypothesis that statins may prevent or moderate rickettsial disease in exposed people

Attitudes towards monkeypox vaccination among healthcare workers in France and Belgium: an element of complacency?

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