Publications by authors named "Sophie Loeffert"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the link between invasive aspergillosis (IA) cases and environmental strains of Aspergillus fumigatus during a demolition period, highlighting the need for genotyping.
  • Over 11 months, 3885 samples were collected, leading to the identification of 394 isolates (383 environmental and 11 clinical) which were genotyped using multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA).
  • Results show that some clinical isolates had identical genotypes to environmental isolates, suggesting that IA infection may stem from fungal contamination in hospital environments.
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Demolition can generate fungal spore suspensions in association with various adverse health effects, such as high risk of invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients. One block of Edouard Herriot Hospital was entirely demolished. The aim of the present study was to evaluate Hirst-type spore traps utility in monitoring outdoor Aspergillaceae (Aspergillus spp.

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Article Synopsis
  • Monitoring fungal contamination in hospitals is crucial to prevent invasive aspergillosis (IA), especially during major construction like the demolition at Edouard Herriot Hospital in 2015, which involved ongoing care nearby.
  • Environmental surveys were conducted daily in eight adjacent hospital wards to track fungal loads, using agar impact samplers and monitoring factors like temperature and humidity.
  • The study aims to enhance current hospital environmental monitoring methods and improve IA risk management during construction while being ethically approved for research dissemination.
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The main purpose was to validate the use of outdoor-indoor volumetric impaction sampler with Hirst-type spore traps (HTSTs) to continuously monitor fungal load in order to prevent invasive fungal infections during major structural work in hospital settings. For 4 weeks, outdoor fungal loads were quantified continuously by 3 HTSTs. Indoor air was sampled by both HTST and viable impaction sampler.

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Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an immunoallergic disease characterized by a prominent interstitial infiltrate composed predominantly of lymphocytes secreting inflammatory cytokines. Dendritic cells (DCs) are known to play a pivotal role in the lymphocytic response. However, their cross talk with microorganisms that cause HP has yet to be elucidated.

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