Campylobacter infections in human : results of threeyears of surveillance 2001 - 2003

The frequency of Campylobacter infections in human, their potential severity, and the existence of preventive measures warrant the creation of a surveillance system. A Campylobacter surveillance system based on private laboratories (PL) was set up in France in 2002 to complement the hospital laboratory-based system(HL). Since 1 January 2001 (for HL), 1 April 2002 (for PL) and 31 December 2003, the Campylobacter National reference Centre analyzed 3 698 strains. Initially thought to be 3.4/100,000, the overall isolation rate was grossly underestimated, as the latest figure is 14/100,000 among children under 5 years old. The strains were mainly C. jejuni (76.9%), followed by C. coli (17.0%) and C. fetus (5.4%). Resistance rates were 41% for ampicillin and 28% for nalidixic acid. Surveillance must be maintained to collect more data on Campylobacter epidemiology in France and to estimate its incidence in the general population.La fréquence des infections humaines à Campylobacter, leur gravité potentielle et l'existence de mesures de prévention justifient une surveillance. En France, un système de surveillance des infections à Campylobacter a été mis en place en avril 2002, à partir des laboratoires de ville (LABM), en complément de celui du réseau des laboratoires hospitaliers (LH) existant depuis 1986. Entre le 1/01/01 (pour les LH), le 1/04/02 (pour les LABM) et le 31/12/03, le Centre National de Référence des Campylobacter a expertisé 3698 souches. Le taux global d'isolement de 3,4/100000 était très largement sous-estimé : il était de 14/100000 pour les enfants âgés de moins S ans. C. jejuni représentait 76,9% des souches, suivi de C. coli (17,0 %) et de C. fetus (5,4%). Le taux de résistance à l'ampicilline était de 41 % et à l'acide nalidixique de 28%. Les efforts pour la surveillance doivent être poursuivis, afin de mieux connaître les caractéristiques épidémiotogiques des infection à Campylobacter en France et de faire des estimations d'incidence en population générale

Inhibition of DDR1 enhances in vivo chemosensitivity in KRAS-mutant lung adenocarcinoma

Platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with immune-checkpoint inhibitors is the current standard of care for patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, tumor progression evolves in most cases. Therefore, predictive bioma ricers are needed for better patient stratification and for the identification of new therapeutic strategies, including enhancing the efficacy of chemotoxic agents. Here, we hypothesized that discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) may be both a predictive factor for chemoresistance in patients with LUAD and a potential target positively selected in resistant cells. By using biopsies from patients with LUAD, KRAS-mutant LUAD cell lines, and in vivo genetically engineered KRAS-driven mouse models, we evaluated the role of DDR1 in the context of chemotherapy treatment. We found that DORT is upregulated during chemotherapy both in vitro and in viva. Moreover, analysis of a cohort of patients with LUAD suggested that high DOR1 levels in pretreatment biopsies correlated with poor response to chemotherapy. Additionally, we showed that combining DORI inhibition with chemotherapy prompted a synergistic therapeutic effect and enhanced cell death of KRAS-mutant tumors in vivo. Collectively, this study suggests a potential role for DDR1 as both a predictive and prognostic biomarker, potentially improving the chemotherapy response of patients with LUAD

Development of a Real-Time Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer PCR To Detect Arcobacter Species▿

A real-time PCR targeting the gyrase A subunit gene outside the quinolone resistance-determining region has been developed to detect Arcobacter species. The species identification was done by probe hybridization and melting curve analysis, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer technology. Discrimination between Arcobacter species was straightforward, as the corresponding melting points showed significant differences with the characteristic melting temperatures of 63.5°C, 58.4°C, 60.6°C, and 51.8°C for the Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus, Arcobacter cibarius, and Arcobacter nitrofigilis type strains, respectively. The specificity of this assay was confirmed with pure cultures of 106 Arcobacter isolates from human clinical and veterinary specimens identified by phenotypic methods and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The assay was then used to screen 345 clinical stool samples obtained from patients with diarrhea. The assay detected A. butzleri in four of these clinical samples (1.2%). These results were confirmed by a conventional PCR method targeting the 16S rRNA gene with subsequent sequencing of the PCR product. In conclusion, this real-time assay detects and differentiates Arcobacter species in pure culture as well as in the competing microbiota of the stool matrix. The assay is economical since only one biprobe is used and multiple Arcobacter species are identified in a single test