Epidemiology and Prognostic Factors Associated With Mold-Positive Blood Cultures: 10-Year Data From a French Prospective Surveillance Program (2012-2022).

Background: While invasive fusariosis and lomentosporiosis are known to be associated with fungemia, overall data on mold-related fungemia are limited, hampering early management. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of mold-positive blood cultures.

Methods: Epidemiological and clinical data on mold-positive blood cultures from 2012 to 2022 were obtained from the RESSIF database.

Label-Free Optical Transmission Tomography for Direct Mycological Examination and Monitoring of Intracellular Dynamics.

Live-cell imaging generally requires pretreatment with fluorophores to either monitor cellular functions or the dynamics of intracellular processes and structures. We have recently introduced full-field optical coherence tomography for the label-free live-cell imaging of fungi with potential clinical applications for the diagnosis of invasive fungal mold infections. While both the spatial resolution and technical set up of this technology are more likely designed for the histopathological analysis of tissue biopsies, there is to our knowledge no previous work reporting the use of a light interference-based optical technique for direct mycological examination and monitoring of intracellular processes.

Risk of fungal exposure in the homes of patients with hematologic malignancies.

Background: Patients with hematological malignancies are at a high risk of developing invasive fungal infections (IFI) because they undergo several cycles of treatment leading to episodes of neutropenia. In addition, they alternate between hospital stays and periods spent at home. Thus, when an IFI is diagnosed during their hospital stays, it is highly challenging to identify the origin of the fungal contamination.

Multicenter evaluation of the Real-TM (Sacace) kit performance for the molecular diagnosis of toxoplasmosis.

The molecular detection of DNA is a key tool for the diagnosis of disseminated and congenital toxoplasmosis. This multicentric study from the Molecular Biology Pole of the French National Reference Center for toxoplasmosis aimed to evaluate Real-TM PCR kit (Sacace). The study compared the analytical and clinical performances of this PCR assay with the reference PCRs used in proficient laboratories.

CMV Infection and Lymphopenia: Warning Markers of Pneumonia in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

pneumonia (PcP) remains life-threatening in kidney transplant recipients (KTR). Our study investigated risk factors one-year before PcP. We conducted a monocentric, case-control study including all KTR at the Dijon University Hospital (France) with a diagnosis of PcP between 2005 and 2022 (cases), and matched control KTR with no history of PcP (3 controls/case).

colonisation in severe community-acquired pneumonia: not just a mere colonisation.

https://bit.ly/46PMk1f.

Summer diarrhea in children: a monocentric French epidemiological observational study.

Pediatric diarrhea is a major public health problem worldwide. In France, continuous surveillance shows a winter epidemic peak and a more modest summer recrudescence. Few studies describe the infectious agents responsible for pediatric summer diarrhea in France.

Invasive fungal diseases in patients with autoimmune diseases: a case series from the French RESSIF network.

Objectives: We aimed to describe patients with autoimmune diseases (AID) developing invasive fungal disease (IFD) and identify factors associated with short-term mortality.

Methods: We analysed cases of IFD associated with AID from the surveillance network of invasive fungal diseases (Réseau de surveillance des infections fongiques invasives, RESSIF) registry of the French national reference centre for invasive mycoses. We studied association of AID-specific treatments with 30-day mortality.

Dynamic full-field optical coherence tomography for live-cell imaging and growth-phase monitoring in .

Introduction: The diagnosis of cutaneous manifestations of deep mycoses relies on both histopathological and direct examinations. Yet, the current diagnostic criteria cannot prevent missed cases, including invasive aspergillosis, which requires the development of a novel diagnostic approach and imaging tools. We recently introduced the use of dynamic full-field optical coherence tomography (D-FF-OCT) in fungal diagnostics with a definition approaching that of conventional microscopy and the ability to return metabolic information regarding different fungal species.

Intestinal Candida albicans overgrowth in IgA deficiency.

Background: Secretory IgA interacts with commensal bacteria, but its impact on human mycobiota ecology has not been widely explored. In particular, whether human IgA-deficiency is associated with gut fungal dysbiosis remains unknown.

Objectives: Our goal was to study the impact of IgA on gut mycobiota ecology.

Endotracheal tube biofilm in critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic : description of an underestimated microbiological compartment.

Biofilm (BF) growth is believed to play a major role in the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in the intensive care unit. Despite concerted efforts to understand the potential implication of endotracheal tube (ETT)-BF dispersal, clinically relevant data are lacking to better characterize the impact of its mesostructure and microbiological singularity on the occurrence of VAP. We conducted a multicenter, retrospective observational study during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, between March and May 2021.

Gradient concentration strip-specific epidemiological cut-off values of antifungal drugs in various yeast species and five prevalent Aspergillus species complexes.

Objectives: To determine the epidemiological cut-off values (ECVs) of ten antifungal agents in a wide range of yeasts and Aspergillus spp. using gradient concentration strips.

Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentrations for amphotericin B, anidulafungin, caspofungin, micafungin, flucytosine, fluconazole, itraconazole, isavuconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole, determined with gradient concentration strips at 35 French microbiology laboratories between 2002 and 2020, were retrospectively collected.

Evaluation of the Bio-Evolution Microsporidia generic and typing real-time PCR assays for the diagnosis of intestinal microsporidiosis.

Cases of intestinal microsporidiosis infection are underestimated and affect both immunocompromized and immunocompetent patients. Real-time PCR is superseding microscopic examination for its diagnosis in medical analysis laboratories. However, few manufacturers include microsporidia in their PCR panel for the diagnosis of infectious gastroenteritis.

Evaluation of Next-Generation Sequencing Applied to and Epidemiological Study.

. Nowadays, most of the and epidemiological studies are based on gp60 gene subtyping using the Sanger sequencing (SgS) method. Unfortunately, SgS presents the limitation of being unable to detect mixed infections.

Dynamic full-field optical coherence tomography as complementary tool in fungal diagnostics.

Histopathology and microscopic examination of infected tissue are the gold standards to prove the diagnosis of invasive fungal infection (IFI). Yet, they suffer from essential limitations that hamper rapid diagnosis and require the future development of new imaging tools dedicated to fungal diagnostics. To this end, the present work introduces the first use of dynamic full-field optical coherence tomography (D-FF-OCT) for the visualization of microscopic filamentous fungi.

Evaluation of the relevance of use of the BD-BACTEC®MycosisIC/F, BD-BACTEC®PlusAerobic/F, BD-BACTEC®Lytic/10 anaerobic/F and BD-BACTEC®PedsPlus/F culture bottle system for fungemia detection: A 4-year retrospective study at the Dijon university hospital, France.

Introduction: Fungemia is a severe invasive fungal infection that combines rapid progression and a high mortality rate. This type of infection is a vital emergency, and early diagnosis is crucial. Currently, only the BD-BACTEC® Automated Blood Culture System (Becton Dickinson, New Jersey, USA) has a medium specifically dedicated to the detection of fungal agents: the BD-BACTEC®MycosisIC/F bottle.

A summary of cryptosporidiosis outbreaks reported in France and overseas departments, 2017-2020.

is a known foodborne pathogen, ranked fifth out of 24 among foodborne parasites in terms of importance and a cause of many cryptosporidiosis outbreaks worldwide. In France, very few outbreaks were reported before 2017, and data recently obtained by the Expert Laboratory of the Cryptosporidiosis National Reference Center (CNR-LE-Cryptosporidiosis) have shown that outbreaks are in fact common and frequently underreported. In this work, we aim to report the characteristics of outbreaks detected in France during the period 2017-2020 and present a summary of investigations carried out by the CNR-LE-Cryptosporidiosis.

Active Surveillance Program to Increase Awareness on Invasive Fungal Diseases: the French RESSIF Network (2012 to 2018).

The French National Reference Center for Invasive Mycoses and Antifungals leads an active and sustained nationwide surveillance program on probable and proven invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) to determine their epidemiology in France. Between 2012 and 2018, a total of 10,886 IFDs were recorded. The incidence increased slightly over time (2.

You shall not pass! Protective role of autophagic machinery in response to plasma membrane damage triggered by invasion.

Candida albicans (C. albicans) is an opportunistic pathogen causing infections ranging from superficial to life-threatening dissemination, in which C. albicans is able to translocate through the gut barrier into deeper organs.

Selecting a multiplex PCR panel for accurate molecular diagnosis of intestinal protists: a comparative study of Allplex (Seegene), G-DiaParaTrio (Diagenode), and RIDAGENE (R-Biopharm) assays and microscopic examination.

Commercial multiplex PCR assay panels were developed to overcome the limitations of microscopic examination for parasitological diagnosis on stool samples. However, given the increased supply of this diagnostic approach, these assays must be evaluated to position them in a diagnostic algorithm. Analytical performances of the multiplex PCR assay G-DiaParaTrio, Allplex GI parasite and RIDAGENE parasitic stool panel for detecting Blastocystis sp.

Cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Amazonia, French Guiana, 2018.

Background: Cryptosporidiosis outbreaks in South America are poorly documented. In March 2018, 51 cases of cryptosporidiosis were reported in Maripasoula, a village located in a remote forest area along the border between Surinam and French Guiana.

Method: To identify the origin of the epidemic, we performed epidemiological, microbiological, and environmental investigations.

Membrane protective role of autophagic machinery during infection of epithelial cells by .

() is an opportunistic pathogen causing infections ranging from superficial to life-threatening disseminated infections. In a susceptible host, is able to translocate through the gut barrier, promoting its dissemination into deeper organs. hyphae can invade human epithelial cells by two well-documented mechanisms: epithelial-driven endocytosis and -driven active penetration.

Commercial Simplex and Multiplex PCR Assays for the Detection of Intestinal Parasites , spp., and spp.: Comparative Evaluation of Seven Commercial PCR Kits with Routine In-House Simplex PCR Assays.

Nowadays, many commercial kits allowing the detection of digestive parasites by DNA amplification methods have been developed, including simplex PCR assays (SimpPCRa) allowing the identification of a single parasite, and multiplex PCR assays (MultPCRa) allowing the identification of several parasites at once. Thus, aimed at improving the diagnosis of intestinal protozoal infections, it is essential to evaluate the performances of these new tools. A total of 174 DNA samples collected between 2007 and 2017 were retrospectively included in this study.