One year of SARS-CoV-2 circulation in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, February 2021-2022, France.

Background: Since 2021, 3 variants of concern (VOC) have spread to France, causing successive epidemic waves.

Objectives: To describe the features of Alpha, Delta and Omicron VOC circulation in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France, between February 2021 and February 2022.

Study Design: Data from the three university hospitals (UH) of Nouvelle-Aquitaine were used to describe regional SARS-CoV-2 circulation (RT-PCR positive rates and identified VOC) as well as its consequences (total number of hospitalizations and admissions in intensive care unit).

Performance of the SureScreen Diagnostics COVID-19 antibody rapid test in comparison with three automated immunoassays.

Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA) for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies are used for population surveillance and potentially individual risk assessment. The performance of the SureScreen Diagnostics LFIA targeting the spike protein was evaluated in comparison with 3 automated assays (Abbott Alinity-i SARS-CoV-2 IgG, DiaSorin Liaison® SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG, Wantai SARS-CoV-2 Ab ELISA). We assessed sensitivity using 110 serum samples from PCR confirmed COVID-19 infected patients.

[Sleeping Sickness: A Cause of False Positive HIV Rapid Diagnostic Tests].

Approaching the mechanisms related to false positives HIV rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) in patients with sleeping sickness may help to improve the accuracy of screening for HIV infection in areas endemic for Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT).We report on a patient from Congo who was managed like an AIDS-associated meningoencephalitis, based on a false positive HIV RDT at admission, and eventually received a diagnosis of sleeping sickness. A further retrospective cohort study performed in patients with HAT shows that most of positive HIV RDT obtained prior to treatment for sleeping sickness are false positives.

Characteristics of human metapneumovirus infection in adults hospitalized for community-acquired influenza-like illness in France, 2012-2018: a retrospective observational study.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence, clinical features and complications of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infections in a population of adults hospitalized with influenza-like illness (ILI).

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, multicenter cohort study using prospectively collected data from adult patients hospitalized during influenza virus circulation, for at least 24 h, for community-acquired ILI (with symptom onset <7 days). Data were collected from five French teaching hospitals over six consecutive winters (2012-2018).