Swine Influenza Virus Antibodies in Humans, Western Europe, 2009

Serologic studies for swine influenza viruses (SIVs) in humans with occupational exposure to swine have been reported from the Americas but not from Europe. We compared levels of neutralizing antibodies against 3 influenza viruses—pandemic (H1N1) 2009, an avian-like enzootic subtype H1N1 SIV, and a 2007–08 seasonal subtype H1N1—in 211 persons with swine contact and 224 matched controls in Luxembourg. Persons whose profession involved contact with swine had more neutralizing antibodies against SIV and pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus than did the controls. Controls also had antibodies against these viruses although exposure to them was unlikely. Antibodies against SIV and pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus correlated with each other but not with seasonal subtype H1N1 virus. Sequential exposure to variants of seasonal influenza (H1N1) viruses may have increased chances for serologic cross-reactivity with antigenically distinct viruses. Further studies are needed to determine the extent to which serologic responses correlate with infection

Investigation of a staphylococcal food poisoning outbreak combining case–control, traditional typing and whole genome sequencing methods, Luxembourg, June 2014

In June 2014, a staphylococcal food poisoning outbreak occurred at an international equine sports event in Luxembourg requiring the hospitalisation of 31 persons. We conducted a microbiological investigation of patients and buffet items, a case-control study and a carriage study of catering staff. Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from patients, food and catering staff were characterised and compared using traditional typing methods and whole genome sequencing. Genotypically identical strains (sequence type ST8, spa-type t024, MLVA-type 4698, enterotoxin A FRI100) were isolated in 10 patients, shiitake mushrooms, cured ham, and in three members of staff. The case-control study strongly suggested pasta salad with pesto as the vehicle of infection (p<0.001), but this food item could not be tested, because there were no leftovers. Additional enterotoxigenic strains genetically unrelated to the outbreak strain were found in four members of staff. Non-enterotoxigenic strains with livestock-associated sequence type ST398 were isolated from three food items and two members of staff. The main cause of the outbreak is likely to have been not maintaining the cold chain after food preparation. Whole genome sequencing resulted in phylogenetic clustering which concurred with traditional typing while simultaneously characterising virulence and resistance traits

Investigation of an excess of Salmonella enteritidis phage type 14b and MLVA type 4-7-3-13-10-2-2 in Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany during 201033913

We investigated an increase of human cases of Salmonella Enteritidis occurring from August until November 2010 in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany involving an estimated three hundred laboratory confirmed cases. Molecular typing indicated that the increase in Luxembourg and Belgium was due a particular strain having phage type 14b, MLVA pattern 4-7-3-13-10-2-2 and fully susceptible to the Enternet panel of antibiotics. MLVA and phage typing were found to have similar discriminatory power on a collection of 40 Belgian and Luxembourg strains isolated during 2010. Epidemiological investigations in Luxembourg suggested eggs as a possible source for some cases, although supermarket eggs tested were negative. No other EU countries observed a substantial increase of cases, although three smaller outbreaks in Germany were also due to a strain with the same phage type and MLVA pattern. In 2010 the EU directive banning battery cages came into force in Germany followed by a dioxin food scare incident. Given that the EU Laying Hens Directive will come into force across all Member States in 2012, a closer monitoring of Salmonella contamination of imported eggs at retail and wholesale level is recommended</p

MAPSSIC, a beta⁺ implantable microprobe for neuroimaging of awake and freely moving rats: first sensor characterization and in vivo imaging simulations

International audienceThe correlation of molecular neuroimaging and behavior studies in the preclinical field is of major interest to unlock progress in the understanding of brain processes and assess the validity of preclinical studies in drug development. However, fully achieving this ambition requires to perform molecular images of awake and freely moving animals, whereas most of the preclinical imaging procedures are currently performed under anesthesia. To achieve such a combination, the MAPSSIC project aims to develop a pixelated intracerebral probe based on the MAPS technology to be implanted on awake freely moving rats. Thanks to its in situ position, the probe is able to directly detect short range positrons of β+radioisotopes whereas micro-PET devices use the coincident γ-rays from annihilation as a relevant signal. In this paper, we discuss the first characterization of the new probe’s sensors and present the results from Monte Carlo simulations of a typical animal experiment using a commonly used β+radiotracer to confirm the relevance of this imaging device. First measurements show an energy threshold lower than 1 keV allowing the detection of β+particles as well as a background sensitivity of 1.7 × 10−3cps. Simulations confirm the ability of the probe to record a local information, with more than 93 % of the detected particles being emitted within the first 2 mm surrounding the probe, that allows to perform kinetic studies on brain structures such as the striatum

MAPSSIC, a beta⁺ implantable microprobe for neuroimaging of awake and freely moving rats: first sensor characterization and in vivo imaging simulations

International audienceThe correlation of molecular neuroimaging and behavior studies in the preclinical field is of major interest to unlock progress in the understanding of brain processes and assess the validity of preclinical studies in drug development. However, fully achieving this ambition requires to perform molecular images of awake and freely moving animals, whereas most of the preclinical imaging procedures are currently performed under anesthesia. To achieve such a combination, the MAPSSIC project aims to develop a pixelated intracerebral probe based on the MAPS technology to be implanted on awake freely moving rats. Thanks to its in situ position, the probe is able to directly detect short range positrons of β+radioisotopes whereas micro-PET devices use the coincident γ-rays from annihilation as a relevant signal. In this paper, we discuss the first characterization of the new probe’s sensors and present the results from Monte Carlo simulations of a typical animal experiment using a commonly used β+radiotracer to confirm the relevance of this imaging device. First measurements show an energy threshold lower than 1 keV allowing the detection of β+particles as well as a background sensitivity of 1.7 × 10−3cps. Simulations confirm the ability of the probe to record a local information, with more than 93 % of the detected particles being emitted within the first 2 mm surrounding the probe, that allows to perform kinetic studies on brain structures such as the striatum

Characterization of IMIC, an implantable needle-shaped positron sensitive monolithic active pixel sensor for preclinical molecular neuroimaging

International audienceThe correlation of molecular neuroimaging and behavior studies in preclinical PET imaging is of major interest to unlock progress in the understanding of brain processes and assess the validity of preclinical studies in drug development. However, fully achieving this ambition requires performing molecular images of awake and freely moving animals, whereas most of the preclinical imaging procedures are currently performed under anesthesia. To overcome this issue, the MAPSSIC project aims to develop a pixelated intracerebral probe to be implanted into awake and freely moving rats. The aforementioned probe relies on IMIC (Imageur Moléculaire Intra Cérébral), a Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) prototype set to directly detect positrons. The IMIC sensors were produced in 5 different configurations. Measurements using a 204Tl source showed that the sensor parameters can be optimized to boost its performance allowing to increase the sensitivity and reduce the average cluster size. In addition, comparisons between sensor configurations show a clear gain provided by the introduction of CMOS process modifications. Finally, the choice of the optimal sensor configuration will depend on the expected in vivo conditions