[Clustered cases of histoplasmosis due to Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum in Martinique: Case reports and environmental investigation]. / Cas groupés d'histoplasmoses à Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum à la Martinique : description des cas et enquête environnementale.

Between the 24th of June and the 6th of July 2005, nine men came to Fort-de-France emergency department (Martinique, French West Indies) with more or less pronounced pulmonary symptoms associated in two cases with skin lesions. Three weeks before these nine men performed work in a deserted house. The diagnosis of histoplasmosis was based on pulmonary sample mycological analysis (direct examination and culture), molecular biology and serological tests. Interrogatory and environmental investigations on the presumed place of exposition to H. capsulatum var. capsulatum spores allowed confirming how and where contamination took place.

[Occupational exposure to syphilis during venous ulcer curettage in Martinique]. / Accident professionnet d'exposition à a syphilis a près curetage d'ulcere veineux en Martinique.

The purpose of this report is to describe the first case of occupational exposure to syphilis. This accident occurred during curettage of a venous ulcer in a 68-year-old woman in Martinique Island. The patient presented primary syphilis without HIV. This case points out the need for enhanced syphilis screening in epidemic areas.

[Use of HIV rapid tests in free and anonymous screening consultations in the French West Indies]. / Tests de dépistage rapides du VIH dans des consultations de dépistage anonyme et gratuit aux Antilles.

OBJECTIVE: Late screening for HIV is frequent in people living in the French West Indies. Rapid tests (RT) create new opportunities to improve screening for HIV. We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of RT among users of free and anonymous screening consultations in Fort-de-France and Saint-Martin. METHODS: After confirming its reliability on more than 20,000 samples, a RT (Determine HIV-1+2 was offered on site to all testers in addition to the classic tests. RESULTS: From October 2007 to May 2008, 373 RT were performed, four were confirmed positive. Results of RT were returned to 99.4% of testers versus 89.4% of persons who underwent additional classic tests. The rate for unclaimed classic tests results was higher for the latter than for persons who had only RT: 22.2% versus 10.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that RT improves the proportion of people who are informed of their results. Nevertheless, efforts must be made to persuade patients to come back for results of the standard tests to be informed of a potential sexually transmitted infection or an acute HIV infection.

Acute hepatitis C in HIV-infected men who have sex with men.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is usually transmitted via the parenteral route, but there are widely discrepant findings on its possible sexual transmission. Thus there are no recommendations concerning protected sex for couples in which only one partner is HCV-infected. Whether HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases could favour HCV transmission remains unclear, but recent data suggesting an increasing incidence of acute HCV in HIV-infected men underline the major public health implications of this issue. CASE REPORTS: Between June 2002 and July 2003, five HIV-infected homosexually active men presented with primary (n=4) and secondary (n=1) syphilis and concomitant abnormal liver function tests revealing acute asymptomatic HCV seroconversion. Other causes of acute viral hepatitis were inquired into and excluded. Highly at-risk sexual behaviour, including unprotected anal intercourse and unsafe oral sex, with concomitant syphilis, was found to be the only identifiable important risk factor for transmission of HCV. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual transmission may be fuelling a significant increase in HCV seroconversions among HIV-infected men who have highly risky sexual behaviours. Given the recent data suggesting the spread of sexually transmitted infections among HIV-infected gay men, specific recommendations concerning safe sex are urgently needed.