Bilateral posterior cerebral artery territory infarction in a SARS-Cov-2 infected patient: discussion about an unusual case.

In time of SARS-Cov2 pandemic, neurologists need to be vigilant for cerebrovascular complications of Covid-19. We present a case of bilateral occipito-temporal infarction revealed by a sudden cortical blindness with haemorrhagic transformation after intravenous thrombolysis in a diabetic patient infected by Covid-19. Differential diagnoses are discussed in front of this unusual presentation and evolution.

Multicenter trials need to use the same assay for hepatitis C virus viral load determination.

This study, involving 20 laboratories and using currently available assays for hepatitis C virus RNA quantification, demonstrated that differences in viral load values are due not to interlaboratory variations but rather to the nature of the assay itself. This underlines the importance of using the same assay in multicenter studies or when monitoring antiviral therapy.

Epidemiology of genital herpes simplex virus infections in a community-based sample in France: results of the HERPIMAX study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to provide information on the prevalence of herpes simplex infections in the general population in Europe.

Goals: The goals of this study were to determine the prevalence of clinically probable genital herpes and the relationship between serotype and clinical expression in a French community-based sample.

Study: A total of 4410 subjects chosen at random were serotyped for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).

Management of genital herpes during pregnancy: the French experience.

The prevalence and incidence of genital herpes are increasing worldwide. Conversely, the incidence of neonatal herpes shows global discrepancies: very higher numbers of cases are reported in parts of the USA, whereas rates remain low across much of Europe. As illustrated by the French experiences reported here, regionally appropriate management strategies for genital herpes during pregnancy do not alone account for differences in neonatal herpes rates.

Infrequent transmission of HIV-1 drug-resistant variants.

Transmission of drug-resistant variants is influenced by several factors, including the prevalence of drug resistance in the population of HIV-1-infected patients, HIV-1 RNA levels and transmission by recently infected patients. In order to evaluate the impact of these factors on the transmission of drug-resistant variants, we have defined the population of potential transmitters and compared their resistance profiles to those of newly infected patients. Sequencing of pol gene was performed in 220 recently infected patients and in 373 chronically infected patients with HIV-1 RNA >1000 copies/ml.

[Debates and updates regarding the virologic diagnosis of herpes].

Clinical diagnosis of herpes simplex virus infections is accurate and sufficient in many cases. However, there are situations where diagnosis is difficult, for example in subclinical shedding or atypical lesions. Furthermore, in some life-threatening conditions such as encephalitis, herpesvirus infections in immunocompromised individuals, during pregnancy or in neonates, confirmation of the diagnosis with accurate and rapid laboratory tests is essential.