Severe neutropenia revealing a rare presentation of dengue fever: a case report.

Background: Arboviruses are a common cause of fever in the returned traveler often associated with leucopenia, especially lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia. Transient neutropenia has been described in a few cases of arboviruses. However, prolonged and severe neutropenia (<500/mm) has rarely been reported in dengue fever, especially in the returned traveler in Europe.

Contribution of echocardiography in the diagnosis of definitive infective endocarditis: the infectious disease specialist's point of view.

In 1994, the original Duke criteria introduced the usefulness of echocardiography for the diagnosis of definitive infective endocarditis (IE). Recently, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) highlighted the need of complementary imaging to support the diagnosis of embolic events and cardiac involvement when echocardiography findings are negative or doubtful. We decided to study the usefulness of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (TTE/TEE) for the diagnosis of definitive IE in patients who already benefited from complementary investigations.

Predicting susceptibility to tuberculosis based on gene expression profiling in dendritic cells.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly infectious disease, which kills millions of people every year. The causative pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), is estimated to have infected up to a third of the world's population; however, only approximately 10% of infected healthy individuals progress to active TB. Despite evidence for heritability, it is not currently possible to predict who may develop TB.

Impact of an antimicrobial stewardship programme to optimize antimicrobial use for outpatients at an emergency department.

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs) have been effective in optimizing antibiotic use for inpatients. However, an emergency department's fast-paced clinical setting can be challenging for a successful ASP.

Aim: In April 2015, an ASP was implemented in our emergency department and we aimed to determine its impact on antimicrobial use for outpatients.

Reinforcement of an antimicrobial stewardship task force aims at a better use of antibiotics of last resort: the COLITIFOS study.

Background: Physicians are facing a worldwide increase in multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms. Eradication of such bacteria, including so called superbugs (XDR), may cause physicians to prescribe last-resort antibiotics. However, experience with these drugs is limited and few data are available.

Epidemiology of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in an intensive care unit with no single rooms.

Background: The transmission of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae (ESBL) is prevented by additional contact precautions, mainly relying on isolation in a single room and hand hygiene. Contact isolation cannot be achieved in our 12-bed ICU, which has only double rooms. We report the epidemiology of ESBL imported, acquired and transmitted in an ICU with no single rooms.

Meeting the demand of the future: a curriculum to stimulate interest in careers in primary care internal medicine.

Background: There is a growing need for primary care physicians, but only a small percentage of graduating medical students enter careers in primary care.

Purpose: To assess whether a Primary Care Intraclerkship within the Medicine clerkship can significantly improve students' attitudes by analyzing scores on pre- and post-tests.

Methods: Students on the Medicine clerkship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School participated in full-day 'intraclerkships',to demonstrate the importance of primary care and the management of chronic illness in various primary care settings.

Changes in eosinophil count during bacterial infection: revisiting an old marker to assess the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy.

Introduction: Eosinopenia as a criterion of sepsis has been the subject of debate for decades. Different authors have proposed different cut-off values.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted from February to August 2016.

Maintenance of remission with combination etanercept-DMARD therapy versus DMARDs alone in active rheumatoid arthritis: results of an international treat-to-target study conducted in regions with limited biologic access.

In this transglobal, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, treat-to-target study, the maintenance of efficacy was compared between biologic-and biologic-free-disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) combination regimens after low disease activity (LDA) was achieved with biologic DMARD induction therapy. Patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis despite methotrexate therapy received open-label etanercept 50 mg subcutaneously once weekly plus methotrexate with or without other conventional synthetic (cs) DMARDs for 24 weeks. Patients achieving LDA [disease activity score in 28 joints based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) <3.

Characteristics of and risk factors for severe neurological deficit in patients with pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis: A case-control study.

Severe neurological deficit (SND) is a rare but major complication of pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO). We aimed to determine the risk factors and the variables associated with clinical improvement for SND during PVO.This case-control study included patients without PVO-associated SND enrolled in a prospective randomized antibiotic duration study, and patients with PVO-associated SND managed in 8 French referral centers.

Efficacy of indefinite chronic oral antimicrobial suppression for prosthetic joint infection in the elderly: a comparative study.

Background: During prosthetic joint infection (PJI), surgical management is sometimes impossible and indefinite chronic oral antimicrobial suppression (ICOAS) may be the only option. The outcomes of elderly patients who benefited from ICOAS with strictly palliative intent were evaluated.

Methods: A national retrospective cohort study was performed in France, involving patients aged >75 years with a PJI who were managed with planned life-long ICOAS from 2009 to 2014.

Ceftolozane/tazobactam for febrile UTI due to multidrug-resistant in a patient with neurogenic bladder.

Introduction: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a major public health problem among spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. They frequently involve multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) is a novel antibiotic combination approved for complicated intra-abdominal and UTI caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms, including some MDR strains.

Prolonged suppressive antibiotic therapy for prosthetic joint infection in the elderly: a national multicentre cohort study.

During prosthetic joint infection (PJI), optimal surgical management with exchange of the device is sometimes impossible, especially in the elderly population. Thus, prolonged suppressive antibiotic therapy (PSAT) is the only option to prevent acute sepsis, but little is known about this strategy. We aimed to describe the characteristics, outcome and tolerance of PSAT in elderly patients with PJI.