[In-house PCR practical knowledge: a sufficient validation according to NF EN ISO 15189?]. / Bilan d'utilisation d'une PCR « maison ¼ qualitative : une validation acceptable en regard de la norme NF EN ISO 15189 ?

As far as molecular biology is concerned, numerous are laboratories using in-house method. Used since many years, medical biologists have often a good practical knowledge about them. According to ISO 15189 accreditation, is this knowledge sufficient for the validation of these methods? We have asked this question ourselves about our in-house Leishmaniasis PCR.

[Automatic platelets numbering with citrate as anticoagulant: is the result valid?]. / Numération automatique des plaquettes sur citrate de sodium : le résultat est-il exact ?

Platelets count is usually realised on EDTA anticoagulant. This one is sometimes able to generate platelets agregats. That is the reason why the first thing to do encountering thrombopenia is to check for agregats on blood thin smear. In case of positive result, a control can be asked using another anticoagulant. The most used is sodium citrate. A correction has to be applied to the automat result because blood is diluted in anticoagulant. But no one says those haematological automats are exact on citrate as they are on EDTA. That's what we wanted to check.

[Apport de l'immunocapture-Elisa au diagnostic de l'infection à virus grippal A(H1N1)pdm09 : une alternative à la RT-PCR ?] / Apport de l'immunocapture-Elisa au diagnostic de l'infection à virus grippal A(H1N1)pdm09 : une alternative à la RT-PCR ?

AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate immunocapture-Elisa (ICE) sensitivity versus RT-PCR in diagnosis of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection. METHODS: Sixty-seven RT-PCR-negative and 282 RT-PCR-positive nasopharyngeal swabs collected during winter 2009-2010 have been analyzed using ICE. RESULTS: Among all the samples tested, a sensitivity of 31.3% was found for ICE. The sensitivity of ICE was directly correlated to the virus load determined through the number of cycling reactions necessary to reach detection by RT-PCR. CONCLUSION: ICE can be a suitable method compared to RT-PCR when RT-PCR cannot be used for economical or epidemiological reasons. Its sensitivity is largely dependent of the nasopharyngeal sampling quality.

Three related cases of cutaneous anthrax in France: clinical and laboratory aspects.

Anthrax is an acute bacterial infection caused by Bacillus anthracis. The infection is cutaneous in about 95% of human cases and respiratory in about 5%. Approximately 2000 cases of cutaneous anthrax are reported annually worldwide. This disease became exceptional in Europe thanks to strict veterinarian monitoring. The last human cases of anthrax indicated in France were in 1997. We report 3 new related cases of naturally acquired cutaneous anthrax that occurred in France in 2008. The unique features of these cases include the atypical clinical presentation and the contribution of the rapid and specific diagnosis techniques by polymerase chain reaction.In cutaneous forms of anthrax, although the local course is not influenced by the treatment, antibiotic therapy is necessary to control any bacterial distribution. A case of exposure similar to that of a confirmed human case or an exposure identified by epidemiologic inquiry should usually result in chemoprophylaxis. Chemoprophylaxis for the close relations of a patient or for health workers is unnecessary since person-to-person transmission has not been reported.