Abstract. Shewanella spp. are saprophytic bacteria that are part of the marine microflora in warm climates and are rarely pathogenic. However, Shewanella spp. infections are being increasingly reported, and there has been no comprehensive review of the literature describing these infections. This article reports 16 cases of Shewanella spp. infections in Martinique since 1997 and reviews another 239 cases reported in the literature since 1973. Patients experienced soft tissue infections, ear infection, or abdominal and biliary tract infections. A skin or mucosal portal of entry was found for 53% of the patients and exposure to the marine environment was reported for 44%; 79% of patients had an underlying condition. Bacteriema were frequent (28%). Most (87%) patients recovered, although ear infections can become chronic. Death occurred in 13% of the patients. Most Shewanella spp. isolates are susceptible to cefotaxime (95%), piperacillin and tazobactam (98%), gentamicin (99%), and ciprofloxacin (94%).

To identify factors associated with disease severity, we examined 102 patients with quantitative PCR–confirmed leptospirosis in Martinique during 2010–2013. Associated factors were hypotension, chest auscultation abnormalities, icterus, oligo/anuria, thrombocytopenia, prothrombin time <68%, high levels of leptospiremia, and infection with L. interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae/Copenhageni.

An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 caused by the Gamma variant of concern infected 24/44 (55%) employees of a gold mine in French Guiana (87% symptomatic, no severe forms). The attack rate was 60% (15/25) among fully vaccinated miners and 75% (3/4) among unvaccinated miners without a history of infection.

Sociodemographic studies on the use of wheelchairs need to pay greater attention to people living in institutions. The prevalence of wheelchair use in France appears to be far lower than in other western countries, and this observation needs to be examined further with intercultural comparisons.

Background: The number of homeless families has increased considerably since the 1990s in France. We aimed to estimate the homeless children vaccination coverage (VC) for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles–mumps–rubella and hepatitis B and identify factors associated with insufficient VC according to birthplace. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among homeless shelter families in the greater Paris area. A nurse conducted face-to-face interviews and collected vaccination records. We analyzed factors associated with insufficient VC, stratified by birthplace and vaccine, using robust Poisson regression. Results: The study included 214 children born in France and 236 born outside France. VC in French-born homeless children was high (>90% at 24 months for most vaccinations) and similar to levels observed in the general population, whereas VC in those born outside France was low (<50% at 24 months for all vaccines). Factors significantly associated with insufficient VC among children born outside France were age, parents with French-language difficulties, and changing residence at least twice in the previous year. Children in contact with the healthcare system at least once in the previous year had significantly higher VC, irrespective of vaccine and birthplace. Conclusion: Special attention should be paid to homeless children born outside France, with recent European and French recommendations confirming the need for catch-up vaccination in children with undocumented VC.

Abstract. We report the first case of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania martiniquensis in the Caribbean, which until now, was known only to cause cutaneous leishmaniasis. The disease presented with fatigue, anemia, and hepatosplenomegaly in a 61-year-old man with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who was receiving antiretroviral therapy. Diagnosis was made by bone marrow biopsy. VL is life-threatening, and its emergence in the Caribbean is of concern.

Background: In the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of the more transmissible 20J/501Y.V3 (Gamma) variant of concern (VOC), mRNA vaccines have been made available in French Guiana, an overseas French territory in South America, from mid-January 2021. This study aimed to estimate the willingness to be vaccinated and the socio-demographic and motivational correlates among Health Care Workers (HCWs) in French Guiana. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January 22 to March 26, 2021 among a sample of HCWs in French Guiana. They were asked about their willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy, vaccine uptake and vaccines attitudes. Factors associated with willingness to get vaccinated have been analyzed with ordinal logistic regression, using Stata software. Results: A total of 579 HCWs were interviewed, including 220 physicians and 200 nurses most often working in hospital (54%) or in the liberal sector (22%). Overall, 65.6% of respondents reported that they were willing or had already been vaccinated against COVID-19, while 24.3% of respondents reported that they did not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and 11.2% were unsure. HCWs were more willing to get vaccine if they were older, were worried about COVID-19 and were confident in the management of epidemic. Conversely, participants were less likely to have been vaccinated or willing to if they were nurses or of another non-medical profession, born in French Guiana, feared adverse effects, or if they did not trust pharmaceutical companies and management of the epidemic by authorities. Conclusion: Negative attitudes towards vaccines are a major public health concern among HCWs in French Guiana when considering the current active epidemic with Gamma VOC. General vaccine hesitancy and concerns about future side effects in particular represent important barriers. Low confidence in government and science are significant in COVID-19 vaccine refusal among non-medical staffs. Public health messaging with information on vaccine safety should be tailored to address these concerns. The specific challenges of HCWs from French Guiana must be taken into account.

WNA RT-qPCR WNA amplification was performed using the following conditions: 1 Â Invitrogen RT-qPCR buffer mix (Superscript III One step RT-PCR, Life Technologies Corporation, Carlsbad, California), 0.3 mM of each primer (Hc_24_55F: 5 0 -CGTACGACATCATATTAAAAATGA-3 0 and Hc_22_128R: 5 0 -CTTTCTTTAAGGTAGC-CAAAAT-3 0 ), 0.1 mM of probe (Hc_21_79P: 5 0 -FAM-Evaluation of a New RT-qPCR Histoplasma