The Oncoprotein Fra-2 Drives the Activation of Human Endogenous Retrovirus Env Expression in Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATLL) Patients.

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are retroviral sequences integrated into 8% of the human genome resulting from ancient exogenous retroviral infections. Unlike endogenous retroviruses of other mammalian species, HERVs are mostly replication and retro-transposition defective, and their transcription is strictly regulated by epigenetic mechanisms in normal cells. A significant addition to the growing body of research reveals that HERVs' aberrant activation is often associated with offsetting diseases like autoimmunity, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, and chemoresistance.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus screening in France: Missed opportunities? A retrospective multicenter study of serological testing in hospital laboratories.

Objectives: Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 infection is endemic in the French Antilles, French Guiana, and sub-Saharan Africa, the origin of many immigrants currently living in France. There are no national screening recommendations outside of the regulatory obligations concerning donations of blood, tissue, gametes, or milk to a lactarium. This study aimed to investigate the screening and diagnostic practices for this infection in France.

Phylogenetic Investigations of Dengue 2019-2021 Outbreak in Guadeloupe and Martinique Caribbean Islands.

Dengue fever has been a public health problem in the Caribbean region since 1981, when it first reappeared in Cuba. In 1989, it was reported in Martinique and Guadeloupe (two French islands 200 km apart); since then, DENV has caused several epidemics locally. In 2019-2021, DENV-1, DENV-2, and DENV-3 were detected.

Fundus Changes in the Offspring of Mothers With Confirmed Zika Virus Infection During Pregnancy in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique, French West Indies.

Importance: Most ocular lesions have been described for children with congenital Zika syndrome. The frequency of finding ocular abnormalities is unknown among children exposed to Zika virus (ZIKV) during pregnancy. This study was conducted on newborns whose mothers were positive for ZIKV, confirmed with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing.

Visualization of scientific collaboration and themes for arbovirus disease in the caribbean: A forty-year trend analysis with focus on dengue, Zika and Chikungunya.

Background: The (re-)emergence of arboviruses in the Caribbean, and worldwide, is a major public health issue of concern to all scientific research stakeholders. This study aimed to use bibliometric analysis to identify the contribution of Caribbean countries to scientific production regarding the three arboviruses with the greatest impact, namely zika, chikungunya and dengue.

Method: Bibliographic data related to arbovirus diseases were collected from three international databases (Web of Science, Pubmed, and Scopus), filtered by Caribbean islands of affiliation.

Research challenges and opportunities in the Caribbean area: first bibliometric study in the French West Indies, from 1989 to 2018.

Objective: To analyze, describe, and quantify the collaborations and scientific output of the two university teaching hospitals of Martinique and Guadeloupe, at the regional, national, and international level.

Methods: A bibliometrics analysis was performed from the international databases Web of Science and PubMed, for the period from 1989 to 2018, inclusive (30 years). Three types of bibliometric indicators were used, namely quantitative indicators, performance indicators, and organization-specific indicators.

Genotype distribution of cervical HPV among Caribbean women in a population-based study in Martinique: The DEPIPAPUFR study.

The Caribbean ranks seventh among the world regions most affected by cervical cancer. HPV-prevalence and genotype distributions also differ from regions. Knowledge of HPV genotype profiles is important for patients care and HPV vaccination implementation.

Seroprevalence of chikungunya virus infection among HIV-infected adults in French Caribbean Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe in 2015: A cross-sectional study.

Background: In 2014, a first outbreak of chikungunya hit the Caribbean area where chikungunya virus (CHIKV) had never circulated before.

Methodology/principal Findings: We conducted a cross-sectional study to measure the seroprevalence of CHIKV immediately after the end of the 2014 outbreak in HIV-infected people followed up in two clinical cohorts at the University hospitals of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Study patients were identified during the first months of 2015 and randomly selected to match the age and sex distribution of the general population in the two islands.

Increasing prevalence and local transmission of non-B HIV-1 subtypes in the French Antilles and French Guiana between 1995 and 2018.

The Caribbean and South American French Overseas Territories (CSAFOT) are the regions most heavily affected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) epidemic in France. Although dominated by HIV-1 subtype B, the detection of non-B subtypes and the great proportion of HIV-positive persons born abroad demonstrated the potential for local spread of non-B subtype strains in CSAFOT. To reconstruct the epidemiologic dynamics of major non-B subtype clusters spreading in CSAFOT, we conducted phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses of 2,523 HIV-1 sequences collected from patients living in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana from 1995 to 2018.

Adaptation of WHO Definitions of Clinical Forms of Chikungunya Virus Infection for the Elderly.

The WHO defined three clinical forms for chikungunya virus infection (CHIKV, namely, acute, atypical, and severe cases) and a chronic form. These definitions seemed inappropriate for the elderly. So, we propose an adapted definition for elderly people.

E6/E7 Sequence Diversity of High-Risk Human Papillomaviruses in Two Geographically Isolated Populations of French Guiana.

Amerindian and Maroon populations of French Guiana have been living in isolation for generations and sexual networks remained mostly endogamous. The present study aimed to describe the phylogeny of E6 and E7 sequences of the most common high-risk HPV genotypes in these regions, to ascertain the diversity of intra-type variants and describe evolutionary relationships. There were 106 women with at least one of HPV16, 18, 31, 52, 58, and 68 genotypes.

Is Chikungunya Virus Infection an Independent Risk Factor for 2-Year Mortality in Older Afro-Caribbean Subjects?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether Chikungunya virus infection (CVI) was an independent risk factor for 2-year mortality in Afro-Caribbean subjects aged 65 years or older.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed from January 2014 to December 2016 in the University Hospital of Martinique. Subjects aged ≥65 years admitted to the hospital were included.

Seasonality and coinfection of bronchiolitis: epidemiological specificity and consequences in terms of prophylaxis in tropical climate.

Objective: To describe the viruses involved, seasonality and coinfection in hospitalised children with suspected bronchiolitis.

Methods: Over the period 1/07/2007 to 31/12/2008, all children hospitalised for bronchiolitis in the paediatric ward were prospectively included, and had respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) screenings. We retrospectively tested all samples for RSVA, RSVB, rhinovirus (RV), human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza 1, 2, 3, 4, influenza A and influenza B.

The effects of chikungunya virus infection on people living with HIV during the 2014 Martinique outbreak.

Our objective was to describe the clinical presentation of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection in patients living with HIV (PLHIV) during the 2014 Martinique outbreak. During the outbreak and the 6 following months, all PLHIV coming in our unit for a medical evaluation answered questions about potential CHIKV related symptoms, and had blood tests to assess the diagnosis. For patients coming in at the acute phase of infection, we are able to provide and analyze CD4+, CD8+ T-cells and HIV viral load evolution before, during and after CHIK infection.

Prevalence of chronic chikungunya and associated risks factors in the French West Indies (La Martinique): A prospective cohort study.

Background: The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging alphavirus that can cause chronic and potentially incapacitating rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders known as chronic chikungunya arthritis (CCA). We conducted a prospective cohort study of CHIKV-infected subjects during the 2013 chikungunya outbreak in Martinique. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of CCA at 12 months and to search for acute phase factors significantly associated with chronicity.

Phylogeographic Analyses Reveal the Early Expansion and Frequent Bidirectional Cross-Border Transmissions of Non-pandemic HIV-1 Subtype B Strains in Hispaniola.

The human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) subtype B has probably been circulating on the island of Hispaniola since the 1960s, but information about the early viral history on this Caribbean island is scarce. In this study, we reconstruct the dissemination dynamics of early divergent non-pandemic subtype B lineages (designated B) on Hispaniola by analyzing a country-balanced dataset of HIV-1 B sequences from Haiti ( = 103) and the Dominican Republic ( = 123). Phylogenetic analyses supported that B strains from Haiti and the Dominican Republic were highly intermixed between each other, although the null hypothesis of completely random mixing was rejected.

Long-term outcome in neuroZika: When biological diagnosis matters.

Objective: To characterize the full spectrum, relative frequency, and prognosis of the neurologic manifestations in Zika virus (ZIKV) postnatal infection.

Methods: We conducted an observational study in consecutive ZIKV-infected patients presenting with neurologic manifestations during the French West Indies 2016 outbreak.

Results: Eighty-seven patients, including 6 children, were enrolled.

Assessing Zika Virus Transmission Within Households During an Outbreak in Martinique, 2015-2016.

Since 2015, Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused large epidemics in the Americas. Households are natural targets for control interventions, but quantification of the contribution of household transmission to overall spread is needed to guide policy. We developed a modeling framework to evaluate this contribution and key epidemic features of the ZIKV epidemic in Martinique in 2015-2016 from the joint analysis of a household transmission study (n = 68 households), a study among symptomatic pregnant women (n = 281), and seroprevalence surveys of blood donors (n = 457).

Long-term survival and clinical forms in the acute phase of Chikungunya virus infection in older Caribbeans.

Objective: To investigate whether the long-term survival in elderly patients with prior Chikungunya virus infection (CVI) is associated with the clinical form presented in the acute phase, as defined by the WHO classification.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study performed in Martinique University Hospitals. Patients who attended the emergency department for suspected CVI, and who had a positive biological diagnosis of CVI by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction on a plasma sample between 10 January and 31 December 2014 were eligible for inclusion.

Reaching the WHO target of testing persons in jails in prisons will need diverse efforts and resources.

Background: The Caribbean is the second most affected region in the world by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and HIV prevalence is significantly higher among persons in jails and prisons than in the free population. The aim of our study was to assess the screening rates of HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and human T cell leukaemia virus type 1 among newly-arrived persons in 2014, at Ducos facility in Martinique and the testing process performance.

Methods: This is an observational monocentric study conducted within the prison's health unit.

Misdiagnosis of Chikungunya Virus Infection: Comparison of Old and Younger Adults.

Objectives: To assess the frequency of diagnostic errors in older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) with symptoms suggestive of Chikungunya virus infection (CVI) and to compare the rates of misdiagnosis of older and younger adults.

Design: Cross-sectional study performed in the University Hospitals of Martinique from retrospective cases.

Setting: Emergency department.

Outbreak of Chikungunya in the French Caribbean Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe: Findings from a Hospital-Based Surveillance System (2013-2015).

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) emerged in the Caribbean island of Saint-Martin in December 2013. We implemented a hospital-based surveillance system to detect and describe CHIKV cases including severe forms of the infection and deaths in the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. A case was defined as a patient with a CHIKV laboratory confirmation cared for in a public hospital for chikungunya for at least 24 hours, and a severe CHIKV case was defined as a CHIKV case presenting one or more organ failures.