Family Relationship, Water Contact and Occurrence of Buruli Ulcer in Benin

Mycobacterium ulcerans disease (Buruli ulcer) is the most widespread mycobacterial disease in the world after leprosy and tuberculosis. How M. ulcerans is introduced into the skin of humans remains unclear, but it appears that individuals living in the same environment may have different susceptibilities. This case control study aims to determine whether frequent contacts with natural water sources, family relationship or the practice of consanguineous marriages are associated with the occurrence of Buruli ulcer (BU). The study involved 416 participants, of which 104 BU-confirmed cases and 312 age, gender and village of residence matched controls (persons who had no signs or symptoms of active or inactive BU). The results confirmed that contact with natural water sources is a risk factor. Furthermore, it suggests that a combination of genetic factors may constitute risk factors for the development of BU, possibly by influencing the type of immune response in the individual, and, consequently, the development of BU infection per se and its different clinical forms. These findings may be of major therapeutic interest

Phénoménologie de la différence des sexes dans la production des espaces

La question de l'espace, comme terme générique, prend toute sa puissance dans sa confrontation à l'autre multiple dans une perspective féministe. La formule récurente de Virginia Woolf, de trouver "une chambre à soi", au-delà de l'image spatiale, tend à dégager une réalité sociale de la division entre l'espace privé et l'espace public, comme une réalité économique de l'espace autonome et de l'espace de la soumission, une réalité physique de la délimitation des territoires symboliques. Pourtant, comment mon espace propre peut-il continuer à exister quand il entre en rapport avec l'espace social global et avec l'espace particulier de l'autre ? Depuis une perspective féministe, le terme "autre" prend alors un sens particulier rappelant la qualité apostasique de la figure de la femme, la femme étant l'écart absolu. Depuis les réflexions sur l'altérité menées par les penseuses féministes postcoloniales, nous réenvisagerons la définition du sujet pour aboutir à une pensée politique de l' "être-entre-sujets". Nous avons, au travers de l'étude de plusieurs groupes militants et féministes, tenté de mettre en évidence ces pratiques collectives dans leur faculté à être des "agir" d'émancipation. Il s'agira alors, pour reprendre l'expression de Michel Foucault, d'en montrer les "signes d'existence" comme autant d'incarnations pratiques de processus d'émancipations collectives. Le choix de croiser les champs de l'histoire de l'art, de l'esthétique, de la critique d'art aux champs plus strictement philosophiques, politiques ou sociologiques repose sur une volonté de mettre en avant la réalité effective des occurrences de l'art et du système qu'il développe.The question of space, as generic term, takes all its power in its confrontation with the multiple other from a feminist point of view. The leitmotiv of Virginia woolf, to find "a room with oneself", beyond the space image, tends to release a social reality of division between private and public spaces, like an economic reality of autonomous space and space of the tender, a physical reality of the delimitation of the symbolic territories. However, how my own space can continue to exist when it enters in connection with total social space and in the same time with the particular space of the other ? Since a feminist prospect, the "different" term takes a particular direction then pointing out the apostasic quality of the figure of the woman, the woman being as the absolute deviation. Since the reflexions on the otherness carried out the feminist postcolonialist thinkers, we will consider the definition of the subject to lead to a political thought of the "being-between-subjects". We, trough the stydy of several militant and feminist groups, tried to highlight these collective practices in their faculty at being an agency of emancipation. It will act then, to take again the expression of michel Foucault, to show of them the "signs of existence" like as many pratical incarnations of process of collective emancipations. The choice to cross the fields of history of art, esthetic, art critic to the fields more strictly philosophical, policy or sociological is based on a will to propose the effective reality of the occurrences of art and of the system which it develops.ST DENIS-BU PARIS8 (930662101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Experimental human-like model to assess the part of viable Legionella reaching the thoracic region after nebulization

International audienceThe incidence of Legionnaires’ disease (LD) in European countries and the USA has been constantly increasing since 1998. Infection of humans occurs through aerosol inhalation. To bridge the existing gap between the concentration of Legionella in a water network and the deposition of bacteria within the thoracic region (assessment of the number of viable Legionella), we validated a model mimicking realistic exposure through the use of (i) recent technology for aerosol generation and (ii) a 3D replicate of the human upper respiratory tract. The model’s sensitivity was determined by monitoring the deposition of (i) aerosolized water and Tc99m radio-aerosol as controls, and (ii) bioaerosols generated from both Escherichia coli and Legionella pneumophila sg 1 suspensions. The numbers of viable Legionella prior to and after nebulization were provided by culture, flow cytometry and qPCR. This study was designed to obtain more realistic data on aerosol inhalation (vs. animal experimentation) and deposition at the thoracic region in the context of LD. Upon nebulization, 40% and 48% of the initial Legionella inoculum was made of cultivable and non-cultivable cells, respectively; 0.7% of both populations reached the filter holder mimicking the thoracic region in this setup. These results are in agreement with experimental data based on quantitative microbial risk assessment methods and bring new methods that may be useful for preventing LD

Experimental human-like model to assess the part of viable Legionella reaching the thoracic region after nebulization

International audienc

In vitro pre-exposure of Haemonchus contortus

International audienceDifferent authors have reported that eosinophils are capable of immobilising infective larvae of different species of nematodes in vitro. However, classifying larvae as mobile or immobile is so subjective that it does not always mean all apparently immobile larvae are dead or those that are mobile are capable of surviving further immune responses if administered to their natural hosts. The objective of this experimental study was therefore to substantiate the role of eosinophils in the killing of Haemonchus contortus infective larvae by comparing the infectivity in sheep of larvae that had been incubated with eosinophil-enriched cell suspensions with control larvae. Since it was not possible to isolate pure eosinophils from sheep blood, we were compelled to evaluate the effects of other blood cells contaminating our eosinophil-enriched suspensions. Although eosinophils and neutrophils were the only cells found adherent to H. contortus infective larvae in vitro, induced eosinophils in the presence of immune serum were primarily responsible for the drastic reduction in larval motility compared to the minor effects of neutrophils and mononuclear cells. Corresponding reductions in faecal egg count and worm numbers were observed when the incubated larvae were transferred intra-abomasally to sheep. Interestingly, the proportion of larvae that failed to establish was much higher following incubation with induced eosinophils compared with other cells or with immune serum alone. Although this study did not address the in vivo role of eosinophils in sheep, the results strongly indicate that sheep blood eosinophils have a larval killing potential in vitro, and a larval mobility test alone may not fully explain the level of damage inflicted on the larvae

Human-like experimental model inside a glove box.

<p>This experimental setup allows the dispersion and collection of <i>Legionella</i> aerosols reaching the filter holder mimicking the thoracic region. Black arrows indicate the direction of airflow.</p

Determination of physiological state of <i>Legionella</i> aerosols in calibrated suspension before aerosolization.

<p>A. Representative analysis by FCA. B. Visual control for FCA by epifluorescence microscopy (400x). DC: Dead Cells (red bacteria by microscopy). VBNC: Viable But Not Culturable (double-labelled bacteria by microscopy). VC: Viable and Culturable (green bacteria by microscopy).</p

In vitro pre-exposure of Haemonchus contortus L3 to blood eosinophils reduces their establishment potential in sheep

Different authors have reported that eosinophils are capable of immobilising infective larvae of different species of nematodes in vitro. However, classifying larvae as mobile or immobile is so subjective that it does not always mean all apparently immobile larvae are dead or those that are mobile are capable of surviving further immune responses if administered to their natural hosts. The objective of this experimental study was therefore to substantiate the role of eosinophils in the killing of Haemonchus contortus infective larvae by comparing the infectivity in sheep of larvae that had been incubated with eosinophil-enriched cell suspensions with control larvae. Since it was not possible to isolate pure eosinophils from sheep blood, we were compelled to evaluate the effects of other blood cells contaminating our eosinophil-enriched suspensions. Although eosinophils and neutrophils were the only cells found adherent to H. contortus infective larvae in vitro, induced eosinophils in the presence of immune serum were primarily responsible for the drastic reduction in larval motility compared to the minor effects of neutrophils and mononuclear cells. Corresponding reductions in faecal egg count and worm numbers were observed when the incubated larvae were transferred intra-abomasally to sheep. Interestingly, the proportion of larvae that failed to establish was much higher following incubation with induced eosinophils compared with other cells or with immune serum alone. Although this study did not address the in vivo role of eosinophils in sheep, the results strongly indicate that sheep blood eosinophils have a larval killing potential in vitro, and a larval mobility test alone may not fully explain the level of damage inflicted on the larvae

Effect of nebulization on the physiological forms of <i>Legionella</i>.

<p>Effect of nebulization on the physiological forms of <i>Legionella</i>.</p