Uncovering a new family of conserved virulence factors that promote the production of host-damaging outer membrane vesicles in gram-negative bacteria.

CprA is a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) that contributes to resistance against colistin and antimicrobial peptides. The cprA gene is conserved across Pseudomonas aeruginosa clades and its expression is directly regulated by the two-component system PmrAB. We have shown that cprA expression leads to the production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that block autophagic flux and have a greater capacity to activate the non-canonical inflammasome pathway.

Snakebites in Cameroon by Species Whose Effects Are Poorly Described.

Snakes responsible for bites are rarely identified, resulting in a loss of information about snakebites from venomous species whose venom effects are poorly understood. A prospective clinical study including patients bitten by a snake was conducted in Cameroon between 2019 and 2021 to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a marketed polyvalent antivenom. Clinical presentation during the first 3 days of hospitalization was recorded following a standardized protocol.

Snakebites in Cameroon: Tolerance of a Snake Antivenom (Inoserp™ PAN-AFRICA) in Africa in Real-Life Conditions.

Snakebite envenomation (SBE) is a public health issue in sub-Saharan countries. Antivenom is the only etiological treatment. Excellent tolerance is essential in managing SBE successfully.

Health problems and exposure to infectious risks in returning humanitarian aid workers.

Background: Humanitarian aid workers are exposed to deployment-related health threats. Identifying subgroups at a higher risk of infection in this diverse population could help optimize prevention.

Methods: We carried out a retrospective study based on anonymized data of humanitarian aid workers that visited our clinic for a post-deployment visit between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2021.

From ribosome to ribotoxins: understanding the toxicity of deoxynivalenol and Shiga toxin, two food borne toxins.

Ribosomes that synthesize proteins are among the most central and evolutionarily conserved organelles. Given the key role of proteins in cellular functions, prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens have evolved potent toxins to inhibit ribosomal functions and weaken their host. Many of these ribotoxin-producing pathogens are associated with food.

Injecting drug use increases the risk of death in HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy in Vietnam.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic remains a major public health issue worldwide. In Vietnam, the HIV epidemic is essentially driven by people who inject drugs (PWID). This study aims to compare mortality and loss to follow-up (LTFU) between PWID and other patients.

Complete Genome Sequences of Monkeypox Virus from a French Clinical Sample and the Corresponding Isolated Strain, Obtained Using Nanopore Sequencing.

We report the whole-genome sequences of a monkeypox virus from the skin lesion of a French patient and the corresponding isolated viral strain. Both viral genomic sequences were successfully obtained by applying shotgun metagenomics using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing approach.

Assessment of HIV viral load monitoring in remote settings in Vietnam - comparing people who inject drugs to the other patients.

Introduction: Increasing access to viral load (VL) monitoring is essential to fight HIV epidemics. In remote settings in Vietnam, using dried blood spot (DBS) sampling for specimen collection could improve the situation. Here, people who inject drugs (PWID) represent many newly antiretroviral therapy (ART)-initiated patients.

Linear epitope mapping of the humoral response against SARS-CoV-2 in two independent African cohorts.

Profiling of the antibody responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins in African populations is scarce. Here, we performed a detailed IgM and IgG epitope mapping study against 487 peptides covering SARS-CoV-2 wild-type structural proteins. A panel of 41 pre-pandemic and 82 COVID-19 RT-PCR confirmed sera from Madagascar and Senegal were used.

First wave COVID-19 pandemic in Senegal: Epidemiological and clinical characteristics.

Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread from China to the rest of the world. Africa seems less impacted with lower number of cases and deaths than other continents. Senegal recorded its first case on March 2, 2020.

Outer membrane vesicles produced by pathogenic strains of block autophagic flux and exacerbate inflammasome activation.

strains are responsible for a majority of human extra-intestinal infections, resulting in huge direct medical and social costs. We had previously shown that HlyF encoded by a large virulence plasmid harbored by pathogenic is not a hemolysin but a cytoplasmic enzyme leading to the overproduction of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Here, we showed that these specific OMVs inhibit the macroautophagic/autophagic flux by impairing the autophagosome-lysosome fusion, thus preventing the formation of acidic autolysosomes and autophagosome clearance.

Olfactory function in congenital cytomegalovirus infection: a prospective study.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection leads to olfactory bulb lesions in the fetus, yet little is known about its impact on olfaction after birth. Here, we have assessed in a prospective study conducted on children in two French hospitals from 2016 to 2019, infection severity and olfactory performance after congenital CMV infection. Children with congenital CMV infection aged 3 to 10 years and healthy controls (CTL) matched for age and sex to CMV children symptomatic at birth (sCMV) were enrolled.

A Toxic Friend: Genotoxic and Mutagenic Activity of the Probiotic Strain Escherichia coli Nissle 1917.

The probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 (DSM 6601, Mutaflor), generally considered beneficial and safe, has been used for a century to treat various intestinal diseases. However, Nissle 1917 hosts in its genome the pathogenicity island that codes for the biosynthesis of the genotoxin colibactin. Colibactin is a potent DNA alkylator, suspected to play a role in colorectal cancer development.

Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin Treatment of Hospitalized Patients Infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Senegal from March to October 2020.

As of today, little data is available on COVID-19 in African countries, where the case management relied mainly on a treatment by association between hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and azithromycin (AZM). This study aimed to understand the main clinical outcomes of COVID-19 hospitalized patients in Senegal from March to October 20202. We described the clinical characteristics of patients and analysed clinical status (alive and discharged versus hospitalized or died) at 15 days after Isolation and Treatment Centres (ITC) admission among adult patients who received HCQ plus AZM and those who did not receive this combination.

Hospital-based prospective study of pertussis in infants and close contacts in Tehran, Iran.

Background: Pertussis remain a global health concern, especially in infants too young to initiate their vaccination. Effective vaccination and high coverage limit the circulation of the pathogen, yet duration of protection is limited and boosters are recommended during a lifetime. In Iran, boosters are given at 18 months and 6 years old using whole pertussis vaccines for which efficacy is not known, and pertussis surveillance is scant with only sporadic biological diagnosis.

Circulation of Bordetella pertussis in vaccinated Cambodian children: A transversal serological study.

Background: The Cambodia pertussis immunization schedule includes three doses given at age 6, 10 and 14 weeks using a whole-pertussis vaccine. No booster doses are included. Pertussis biological diagnosis is unavailable in Cambodia and its burden remains unclear.

Rck of Typhimurium Delays the Host Cell Cycle to Facilitate Bacterial Invasion.

Typhimurium expresses on its outer membrane the protein Rck which interacts with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) of the plasma membrane of the targeted host cells. This interaction activates signaling pathways, leading to the internalization of . Since EGFR plays a key role in cell proliferation, we sought to determine the influence of Rck mediated infection on the host cell cycle.

COVID-19 Outbreak, Senegal, 2020.

The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 began later in Africa than in Asia and Europe. Senegal confirmed its first case of coronavirus disease on March 2, 2020. By March 4, a total of 4 cases had been confirmed, all in patients who traveled from Europe.