ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Eosinophilic meningitis is a rare form of meningitis with sequelae or death occurring in approximately 2-3% of cases. The most frequent etiological agent is the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis. The aim of this study was to characterize New Caledonian cases and to assess the extent to which of A. cantonensis was involved. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of all cases of eosinophilic meningitis (EM) admitted to the Territorial Hospital of New Caledonia, from 2004 to 2019. We performed a descriptive and a multivariate analysis to identify association of variables with severe and fatal cases (or cases with sequelae). CONCLUSION: Angiostrongyliasis was confirmed as being responsible for 17 of the 92 reported EM cases in New Caledonia from 2004 to 2019 with most being young adults and non-walking infants, and with two peaks of incidence one during the dry season and one during the rainy season. Considering the high incidence and regularity of cases, the potential reservoirs should be identified to target prevention campaigns.
Subject(s)
Angiostrongylus cantonensis/physiology , Eosinophils/pathology , Meningitis/epidemiology , Meningitis/parasitology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Animals , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Models, Biological , New Caledonia/epidemiology , Rain , Seasons , Severity of Illness Index , Young AdultABSTRACT
SUMMARY: We investigated 10 mother-newborn pairs and found a 90% rate of dengue virus (DENV) transmission during the perinatal period. Here, we describe DENV kinetics in the sera of newborns before the onset of disease. Of the breast-milk samples analyzed, 75% tested positive for DENV. BACKGROUND: Dengue is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease in humans. With this study, we aimed to investigate the risk of vertical (DENV) transmission during the peripartum period and to describe its viral kinetics in serum and breast milk. METHODS: We carried out a prospective study during the 2012-2013 dengue epidemic in New Caledonia, its most severe on record. All mothers hospitalized at the Centre Hospitalier Territorial in Nouméa, New Caledonia, with symptoms of dengue infection between 7 days before and 2 days after delivery and/or whose infant was infected during breastfeeding were investigated. DENV was detected and quantified by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in sera and breast milk (mothers), sera and gastric fluid (newborns), cord blood, and placentas. DENV kinetics and sequences in sera and breast milk were studied. Clinical presentation and biological evolution in mother-newborn pairs were analyzed. RESULTS: Ten mother-newborn pairs were investigated over an 11-month period. One premature birth, 3 hemorrhagic complications, and 1 maternal death occurred. Nine newborns were infected and symptomatic. One case of deep thrombocytopenia and 1 case of anoxic encephalopathy occurred. DENV was detected in breast milk samples from 9 (75%) of 12 infected breastfeeding mothers. Original DENV kinetics in sera and breast milk were described. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of vertical DENV transmission was high (90%) in viremic mothers at delivery, and these mothers and their infants were at major risk for obstetric and neonatal complications. The modes of viral transmission are difficult to clarify. The risk of DENV transmission through breast milk seems plausible. Close follow-up of mothers and prolonged surveillance of their newborns are required for minimizing complications. Complementary studies are needed to elaborate preventive recommendations.
Subject(s)
Dengue/transmission , Infant, Newborn, Diseases/virology , Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical/statistics & numerical data , Milk, Human/virology , Dengue/diagnosis , Dengue/epidemiology , Dengue Virus/genetics , Dengue Virus/metabolism , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Newborn, Diseases/etiology , Kinetics , Male , New Caledonia/epidemiology , Peripartum Period , Phylogeny , Prospective Studies , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Risk Factors , Viremia/virologySubject(s)
Conidiobolus , Mediastinal Neoplasms/diagnosis , Tuberculosis/diagnosis , Zygomycosis/diagnosis , Adolescent , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Australia , Diagnosis, Differential , Hospitals, Pediatric , Humans , Male , Mediastinum , Zygomycosis/drug therapy , Zygomycosis/microbiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In endemic areas, leptospirosis is more common and more severe in adults compared with children. Reasons to explain this discrepancy remain unclear and limited data focusing on adolescents are available. The objective of the study was to describe disease spectrum and outcome differences in children and adolescents admitted for leptospirosis in a large at-risk population. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory data were obtained on hospitalized cases in New Caledonia from 2006 to 2012. RESULTS: Data of 60 patients <18 years of age (25 children under 14 and 35 adolescents aged 14 to 17) with confirmed leptospirosis were analyzed. Compared with children, adolescents presented more often with classic features of Weil disease (p = 0.02), combining hepatic and renal involvement with or without pulmonary participation. Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions were observed more often among adolescents (p<0.01). The overall case fatality rate was low (1 adolescent versus 0 children). CONCLUSION: Severe leptospirosis in adolescents may be more likely to show adults' characteristics compared with children. Further studies are required to explore age-dependant host factors, including puberty-related physiological changes.
Subject(s)
Leptospirosis/pathology , Severity of Illness Index , Adolescent , Age Factors , Child , Female , Hospitals , Humans , Leptospirosis/mortality , Male , New Caledonia , Retrospective Studies , Survival AnalysisABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: : Progressive liver injury is a concern in HIV-infected children exposed to long-term antiretroviral drugs and to the cytopathic effect of HIV. Yet liver biopsy is usually considered too invasive to be repeated in these patients. The aims of this study are to evaluate the feasibility of noninvasive hepatic investigations in HIV-1-infected children, assess the prevalence of signs of liver affection, and analyse the influence of the HIV disease severity and the exposure to antiretroviral therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: : A cross-sectional study conducted in 26 HIV-1 vertically infected children ages 8 to 18 years old. Liver function was assessed with standard serum biochemical markers, FibroTest, ActiTest, SteatoTest, Forns index, aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index, ultrasound, and Fibroscan. RESULTS: : Nineteen (>60%) children had signs of liver affection on at least 1 of the test results: 13 (50%) had elevated liver enzymes, 15 (63%), 8 (33%), 5 (21%), and 5 (21%) had abnormal FibroTest, ActiTest, Forns index, and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index results, respectively. Four children (17%) had mild liver steatosis on ultrasound. Fibroscan measures were significantly higher in patients than in age-matched healthy children. Patients with elevated Fibroscan measures also had significantly higher FibroTest results. Age, HIV stage N in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classification and exposure duration to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs were the main risk factors for hepatotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: : More than half of our population of HIV-infected children had biological and/or radiological signs of liver affection. Regular follow-up of liver function is necessary in these patients, which is now possible with noninvasive procedures.
