Retrospective study of pneumonia due to Panton-Valentine leukocidin-producing Staphylococcus aureus in Reunion.

OBJECTIVE: Panton-Valentine leukocidin-producing Staphylococcus aureus necrotizing pneumonia is an unusual cause of community-acquired pneumonia, although associated with a high case fatality. This infection mainly affects young individuals, without any history, and is most often preceded by flu-like symptoms. METHOD: We focused on patients presenting with Staphylococcus aureus necrotizing pneumonia in Reunion (Indian Ocean) admitted to the emergency department. We performed a retrospective study based on data collected from laboratory registers and medical files of patients presenting with Staphylococcus aureus necrotizing pneumonia in Reunion between December 2014 and December 2017. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients were recruited for this study, with a median age of 40.5 years. More than half of patients had previously been admitted to the emergency department for acute respiratory distress syndrome or severe sepsis. Fourteen patients were admitted to the intensive care unit and six patients died (five premature deaths). CONCLUSION: Physicians should be aware of this infection during the flu season and quickly adapt the specific antibiotic treatment, including a drug inhibiting toxin production. As methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is very rarely observed in Reunion, physicians can still adapt the empirical treatment, without glycopeptides.

Radiolabeled F(ab')2-cetuximab for theranostic purposes in colorectal and skin tumor-bearing mice models

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate theranostic strategies in colorectal and skin cancer based on fragments of cetuximab, an anti-EGFR mAb, labeled with radionuclide with imaging and therapeutic properties, 111In and 177Lu, respectively. Methods: We designed F(ab′)2-fragments of cetuximab radiolabeled with 111In and 177Lu. 111In-F(ab′)2-cetuximab tumor targeting and biodistribution were evaluated by SPECT in BalbC nude mice bearing primary colorectal tumors. The efficacy of 111In-F(ab′)2-cetuximab to assess therapy efficacy was performed on BalbC nude mice bearing colorectal tumors receiving 17-DMAG, an HSP90 inhibitor. Therapeutic efficacy of the radioimmunotherapy based on 177Lu-F(ab′)2-cetuximab was evaluated in SWISS nude mice bearing A431 tumors. Results: Radiolabeling procedure did not change F(ab′)2-cetuximab and cetuximab immunoreactivity nor affinity for HER1 in vitro. 111In-DOTAGA-F(ab′)2-cetuximab exhibited a peak tumor uptake at 24 h post-injection and showed a high tumor specificity determined by a significant decrease in tumor uptake after the addition of an excess of unlabeled-DOTAGA-F(ab′)2-cetuximab. SPECT imaging of 111In-DOTAGA-F(ab′)2-cetuximab allowed an accurate evaluation of tumor growth and successfully predicted the decrease in tumor growth induced by 17-DMAG. Finally, 177Lu-DOTAGA-F(ab′)2-cetuximab radioimmunotherapy showed a significant reduction of tumor growth at 4 and 8 MBq doses. Conclusions: 111In-DOTAGA-F(ab′)2-cetuximab is a reliable and stable tool for specific in vivo tumor targeting and is suitable for therapy efficacy assessment. 177Lu-DOTAGA-F(ab′)2-cetuximab is an interesting theranostic tool allowing therapy and imaging

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[Is it worth delivering Direct-Current Counter shock to critically ill patients with supra-ventricular tachyarrhythmia?] / Vaut-il la peine de délivrer un choc électrique aux patients de réanimation avec tachycardie supra-ventriculaire ?

Supra-ventricular tachyarrhythmia and its treatment have been poorly investigated in ICU patients. AIMS: To evaluate efficacy and safety of cardioversion for supra-ventricular tachyarrhythmia in the intensive care unit (ICU). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective inclusion of all patients who presented supra-ventricular tachyarrhythmias lasting≥30seconds in a single medico-surgical ICU, except cardiac surgery. Anti-arrhythmic drugs and/or direct-current cardioversion were administered on a liberal basis. RESULTS: During the 15-month study period, 108/846 patients (12.8%) experienced supra-ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Anti-arrhythmic drugs were administered in 78 patients (72%); mostly amiodarone (92%), and/or magnesium (23%), resulting in an overall conversion rate of 68%. Direct-current cardioversion was used in 26 patients (24%), (24 patients received drug enhancement by anti-arrhythmic drugs) with an immediate 80.8%-success rate. CONCLUSION: Direct-current cardioversion was associated with sustained conversion to sinus rhythm in 80.8% of ICU patients with supra-ventricular tachyarrhythmias, although most of them had already received drug enhancement.

Radiolabeled F(ab')2-cetuximab for theranostic purposes in colorectal and skin tumor-bearing mice models.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate theranostic strategies in colorectal and skin cancer based on fragments of cetuximab, an anti-EGFR mAb, labeled with radionuclide with imaging and therapeutic properties, 111In and 177Lu, respectively. METHODS: We designed F(ab')2-fragments of cetuximab radiolabeled with 111In and 177Lu. 111In-F(ab')2-cetuximab tumor targeting and biodistribution were evaluated by SPECT in BalbC nude mice bearing primary colorectal tumors. The efficacy of 111In-F(ab')2-cetuximab to assess therapy efficacy was performed on BalbC nude mice bearing colorectal tumors receiving 17-DMAG, an HSP90 inhibitor. Therapeutic efficacy of the radioimmunotherapy based on 177Lu-F(ab')2-cetuximab was evaluated in SWISS nude mice bearing A431 tumors. RESULTS: Radiolabeling procedure did not change F(ab')2-cetuximab and cetuximab immunoreactivity nor affinity for HER1 in vitro. 111In-DOTAGA-F(ab')2-cetuximab exhibited a peak tumor uptake at 24 h post-injection and showed a high tumor specificity determined by a significant decrease in tumor uptake after the addition of an excess of unlabeled-DOTAGA-F(ab')2-cetuximab. SPECT imaging of 111In-DOTAGA-F(ab')2-cetuximab allowed an accurate evaluation of tumor growth and successfully predicted the decrease in tumor growth induced by 17-DMAG. Finally, 177Lu-DOTAGA-F(ab')2-cetuximab radioimmunotherapy showed a significant reduction of tumor growth at 4 and 8 MBq doses. CONCLUSIONS: 111In-DOTAGA-F(ab')2-cetuximab is a reliable and stable tool for specific in vivo tumor targeting and is suitable for therapy efficacy assessment. 177Lu-DOTAGA-F(ab')2-cetuximab is an interesting theranostic tool allowing therapy and imaging.

Intensive care admission for Coronavirus OC43 respiratory tract infections.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus OC43 infection causes severe pneumonia in patients presenting with comorbidities, but clinical signs alone do not allow for viral identification. OBJECTIVES: To analyze acute manifestations of Coronavirus OC43 infections and outcomes of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective and monocentric study performed during a Coronavirus OC43 outbreak. We used multiplex PCR to detect an OC43 outbreak in Reunion Island during the 2016 Southern Hemisphere's winter: seven admissions to the ICU. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 71 [67;76] years, SAPS II was 42 [28;53], pneumonia severity index 159 [139;182] vs 73 [40.5;107] for patients in medical wards, and 43% required mechanical ventilation. Comorbidities were diabetes mellitus (87%), chronic respiratory failure (57%), and chronic renal failure (29%). One patient died from Haemophilus influenzae co-infection. CONCLUSION: As for MERS Co-V infections, underlying comorbidities impacted the clinical outcomes of OC43 infections.

Pattern and consequences of cardiologic medications management for patients with elevated troponin I upon admission into an intensive care unit not linked to type 1 acute myocardial infarction: A prospective observational cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: No recommendations are currently available to help the clinician with the pharmacological management of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with elevated cardiac troponin (cTn) not linked to type 1 AMI. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of cardiologic medications for patients with elevated cTnI in ICU not link to type 1 AMI and their effects on in-hospital mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective observational cohort study conducted in two ICU units. Patients with increased plasma concentration of cTnI at admission not linked to type 1 AMI were consecutively included. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety of the 835 patients admitted (23%) had an increased plasma concentration of cTnI not related to type 1 AMI. Antiplatelet therapy (AT) and statin were prescribed in 56 (29.5%) and 50 (26.3%) of patients, respectively. Others cardiologic medications were prescribed in less than 5% of all cases and were considered as contraindicated in more than 50% of cases. Antiplatelet therapy was the only cardiologic treatment associated with reduction of in-hospital mortality following uni- and multivariate analysis. The death rate was 23% and 40% in these patients treated with and without AT, respectively (aOR=0.39 [95% CI: 0.15-0.97]). CONCLUSIONS: Statin and AT were frequently prescribed to patients with a cTnI elevation not linked to type 1 AMI. This study suggests that AT in patients with an increased plasma concentration of cTnI, not related to type 1 AMI in ICU, could reduce in-hospital mortality.

[Post nearly Drowning Vibrio alginolyticus Septicemia Acquired in Reunion (Indian Ocean)]. / Septicémie à Vibrio alginolyticus au décours d'une presque noyade à La Réunion (océan Indien).

AbstractWe report the first case of Vibrio alginolyticus septicemia in the Indian Ocean (Reunion Island), in a patient (70-year-old-man) with multiple underlying conditions, following a nearly drowning in the lagoon of Reunion. From now on, V. alginolyticus should be considered as a possible agent of septicemia in the Indian Ocean, particularly following marine activities.

A study to evaluate the first dose of gentamicin needed to achieve a peak plasma concentration of 30 mg/l in patients hospitalized for severe sepsis.

Previous studies have shown that the high dose of gentamicin (8 mg/kg) rarely achieves the desired peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of ≥30 mg/l in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. The aim of this study was to determine the first dose of gentamicin needed to achieve a Cmax ≥ 30 mg/l. We conducted a prospective observational cohort study in one intensive care unit. All consecutive patients hospitalized for severe sepsis or septic shock and treated with a first dose of gentamicin >6 mg/kg were evaluated. During the study period, 15 of the 57 patients (26.3 %) treated with gentamicin had a Cmax ≥ 30 mg/l. The median dose of gentamicin administered was 8.9 [7.8-9.9] mg/kg. Independent factors in the multivariate analysis associated with a Cmax ≥ 30 mg/l were higher body mass index (per kg/m(2) increment) (OR: 1.173, 95%CI: 1.015-1.356, P = 0.03) and higher first dose of gentamicin (per mg/kg increment) (OR: 2.343, 95%CI: 1.346-4.08, P = 0.003). The optimal first dose to achieve a Cmax ≥ 30 mg/l was 11 mg/kg, with a specificity and a sensitivity of 100 % and 53.3 % respectively. These results suggest that a first dose of gentamicin >11 mg/kg is needed to achieve a Cmax ≥ 30 mg/l in most patients.

Influenza season in Réunion dominated by influenza B virus circulation associated with numerous cases of severe disease, France, 2014.

The 2014 seasonal influenza in Réunion, a French overseas territory in the southern hemisphere, was dominated by influenza B. Resulting morbidity impacted public health. Relative to the total number of all-cause consultations over the whole season, the rate of acute respiratory infection (ARI) consultations was 6.5%. Severe disease occurred in 32 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases (31.7 per 100,000 ARI consultations), 16 with influenza B. The observed disease dynamics could present a potential scenario for the next European influenza season.

[Severe cases of Salmonella non typhi infections on sickle cell patients in Réunion Island]. / Chocs septiques à Salmonelles non typhiques chez des patients drépanocytaires à La Réunion.

We report two cases of septic shocks due to Salmonella non typhi infection on sickle cell patients admitted to an intensive care unit. Such patients should enforce food hygiene measures, especially under tropical settings, to avoid potentially deadly severe infections.

Family tetrodotoxin poisoning in Reunion Island (Southwest Indian Ocean) following the consumption of Lagocephalus sceleratus (Pufferfish).

Pufferfish poisoning has rarely been reported in the southwestern Indian Ocean and in the French overseas territories. In Reunion Island, the last notified documented case occurred in 1989 and people are no longer aware of the potential toxicity of pufferfish. We report a family hospitalized for a tetrodotoxin poisoning following the consumption of Lagocephalus sceleratus caught on the coast of Reunion Island in September 2013. Two patients presenting acute vital functions failures were admitted in an ICU. Ten people were admitted simultaneously to the emergency department after consuming L. sceleratus with signs of toxicity appearing within 2 hours. Treatment was supportive, but included the need for mechanical ventilation for two patients. All those affected had complete and uneventful recoveries within a few days. The fish consumed was identified as L. sceleratus, a species known to contain tetrodotoxin. The diagnosis of tetrodotoxin poisoning was suggested by typical clinical manifestations together with the history of very recent consumption of tetrodotoxin-containing fish. Tetrodotoxin was later detected at high levels in food remnants. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no documented case series of tetrodotoxin poisoning reported from Reunion Island for the last 25 years and from the entire Indian Ocean area since 1998. Pufferfish intoxication is one of the most common causes of poisoning among people in coastal regions of Asia but it has also recently been reported in areas where it was previously unknown, particularly along the Mediterranean shores and in Spain. Public health education in French overseas territories and along the Mediterranean shores should be adapted to include increased awareness of the danger of consuming pufferfish. Health teams must be aware of such clinical presentations.

Reunion, a sentinel territory for influenza surveillance in Europe.

In Réunion, a French overseas territory located in the southern hemisphere, increase in influenza activity is generally observed several months earlier than in Europe. Influenza activity is monitored in Réunion through a multi-source surveillance system including sentinel practitioners network, hospital emergency department, laboratory and mortality. Since 2009, three successive influenza epidemics occurred on the island. The largest was observed in 2009 while epidemics in 2010 and 2011 were much weaker. In terms of circulating strains, B viruses were predominant at the beginning of the 2009 epidemic but they were completely evicted once A(H1N1)pdm09 circulation started. In 2010, A(H1N1)pdm09 virus was predominant again, but a constant co-circulation of B viruses was observed. In 2011, A(H3N2) virus circulated. The same viruses were identified a few months later in mainland France in the respective seasons. Since 2009, virus circulation, epidemiological trends and health impact of influenza have been similar to those observed in Europe. Influenza surveillance in Réunion may therefore give reliable early information which should be considered apart from the surveillance in mainland France. Then, it might be even a more suitable predictor for Europe than other temperate southern hemisphere countries.

[Chikungunya virus infection in the Indian Ocean: lessons learned and perspectives]. / L'infection a virus chikungunya dans l'Océan Indien: leçons et perspectives.

After a brief overview of the history of arbovirus epidemics in the Indian Ocean in XIXth and XXth centuries, a full evaluation of the chikungunya epidemic that occurred in 2005-2006 is provided including both lessons learned and future perspectives. On the positive side, the epidemic has allowed improvement of clinical and pathophysiological knowledge, epidemiological surveillance, vector control, awareness of entomology, avenues for research, and understanding of economic and societal repercussions. On the negative side, the epidemic revealed the limitations of a health care system in an island setting, need for an effective sanitary policy, low public-spiritedness, poor diffusion and understanding of public health announcements, endemization of chikungunya virus in the Indian Ocean, absence of vaccine, and global spread of tropical disease. Discussion of perspectives for future arbovirus disease outbreaks in the Indian Ocean is set against the background of climatic change, unequal socioeconomic progress, and high population growth in the Indian Ocean region.

[One case of nosocomial A(H1N1)v2009 influenza in Réunion Island]. / Un cas de grippe A(H1N1)v2009 nosocomiale à la Réunion.

A 19-year-old patient admitted in an oncology unit for an autograft (Hodgkin disease), developed on day 20 a fatal acute respiratory failure and multiple organ failure due to an infection of the A(H1N1)v2009 virus, which was acquired in the hospital, despite partial preventive measures. At that time, the specific vaccine was not available in Réunion. We discuss the nosocomial origin of the infection. Following the epidemic wave, the vaccination rate of the general population and the hospital employees remains very low.

[Severe cases of A(H1N1)v2009 infection in Réunion Island in 2009 and 2010]. / Formes graves d'infection par le virus A(H1N1)v2009 à La Réunion en 2009 et en 2010.

In the Southern hemisphere, Réunion Island acts as a sentinel for infections preferentially occurring during the austral winter that are likely to reach the Northern hemisphere a few months later. We relate the main features concerning patients that were admitted during years 2009 and 2010 in our intensive care unit with an A(H1N1)v2009 infection, mainly for acute respiratory distress. Demographic, clinical, and biological data as well as given medications and outcome were prospectively collected among all PCR-confirmed influenza-infected patients. In 2009 and 2010, 25 patients met the criteria. Patients' median age was 40.4 (±17.4) years. Most of them (22/25) had comorbidities such as: chronic diseases, overweight, obesity, pregnancy, and Down syndrome. Maximum bed-occupation rate was 10 days per million inhabitants. Main diagnosis for ICU admission was virus-related pneumonia. Twenty-two out of 25 patients needed mechanical ventilation, some required rescue therapies such as extracorporeal membranous oxygenation (ECMO) or hi-frequency oscillation ventilation (HFOV), both only available in few French hospitals. Within the study period, 12 patients died (48%) mainly of multi-organ failure. Through 2009 and 2010 autumn and winter periods, for several weeks, the A(H1N1)v2009 virus infection resulted in a significant increase of workload in Réunion Island ICUs. In 2010, the failure of the mass immunization campaign, particularly among the at-risk groups, led to severe cases of A(H1N1)v2009 infections, particularly among patients with comorbidities. Our data may contribute toward better management of influenza virus pandemics in the future.