Listeria innocua is widespread in the environment and in food. This species has to date never been described in association with human disease. We report a case of fatal bacteremia caused by L. innocua in a 62-year-old patient. CASE REPORTA 62-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with a 3-day history of right-upper-quadrant abdominal pain. Her past medical history included hypertension, asthma, gout, and osteoarthritis. At the time of admission to the emergency service, physical examination revealed features of severe septic shock with hypotension (blood pressure, 83/45 mmHg), tachycardia (120 beats/min), and extreme weakness. Her temperature was 39.9°C with jaundice. Because of rapid deterioration of her neurological condition, she was transferred to the intensive care unit for continuous ventilation and hemodynamic support. A blood test at admission showed a leukocyte count of 9.5 ϫ 10 9 /liter, a hemoglobin level of 9.1 g/dl, a platelet count of 22,000/mm 3 , a creatinine level of 198 mol/liter (normal, 50 to 130 mol/liter), and a serum C-reactive protein level of 210 mg/liter (normal, Ͻ5 mg/liter). Hepatic results showed widespread disturbance: bilirubin, 89 mol/liter (normal, 5 to 30 mol/liter); aspartate aminotransferase, 257 IU/liter (normal, Ͻ38 IU/liter); alanine aminotransferase, 143 IU/liter (normal, Ͻ40 IU/liter); and gammaglutamyl transpeptidase, 641 IU/liter (normal, 5 to 40 IU/liter). Pancreatic enzymes were normal. Arterial blood gases revealed severe metabolic acidosis. An abdominal ultrasonographic examination yielded a 20-mm bile duct stone and an 11-mm gallstone. A diagnosis of cholangitis with severe septic shock was established. Two blood cultures were taken, and empirical antimicrobial therapy with intravenous cefotaxime and ornidazole was initiated. The patient's condition deteriorated rapidly with the appearance of signs of hepatocellular insufficiency and disseminated intravascular coagulation. A surgical intervention was decided on and showed cholangitis with hepatic duct necrosis. Postoperative hours were complicated with the persistence of severe hepatic failure, coagulation troubles, and multiple-organ dysfunction, and the patient died 40 h after admission. Blood cultures became positive 2 days after her death with small gram-positive rods.Blood cultures taken at the time of admission were incubated in the automated BacT/ALERT system (Biomerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). Of the samples in the two sets of bottles, both those in bottles maintained under aerobic conditions became positive after 4 days of incubation with small, gram-positive rods with a coryneform appearance. After 24 h of incubation, the colonies were small, white, and nonhemolytic on sheep blood agar plates. Among the positive reactions were catalase production, rapid esculin hydrolysis, and production of acid from glucose, maltose, and lactose. With the use of the Api Coryne system (Biomerieux), the numerical profile 2170164 was obtained, which in the API Plus version 2.0 database corresponds to a "good identi...

In order to evaluate the incidence and risk factors of infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV) among injecting drug users (IDUs), we conducted a prospective cohort study of HCV- and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative IDUs in the North and East of France. A total of 231 HCV and HIV IDUs who had injected drugs at least once in their lifetime were followed up every 3 months over a 12-month period. Serum anti-HCV and anti-HIV were tested at inclusion in the study and at the end of the follow-up. Data on injecting practices were collected at inclusion and at each visit. Of the 231 participants included, 165 (71.4%) underwent a final HCV and HIV serum test. The incidence was nil for HIV infection and 9/100 person-years (95% CI 4.6-13.4) for HCV infection. In a multivariable analysis, we found that syringe and cotton sharing were the only independent predictive factors of HCV seroconversion.

Background: Children are underrepresented in the COVID-19 pandemic and often experience milder disease than adolescents and adults. Reduced severity is possibly due to recent and more frequent seasonal human coronaviruses (HCoV) infections. We assessed the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal HCoV specific antibodies in a large cohort in north-eastern France.

The results of this study indicate the following: a) nonbronchoscopic PSB and BAL were feasible in a large population of mechanically ventilated children; b) nonbronchoscopic techniques were contributive for diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia in children; and c) a combined diagnostic approach, using nonbronchoscopic PSB and BAL, was superior to using either test alone.

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