Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press
Résumé : International audience
Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) rank second at chronic inflammatory diseases in industrialized countries and are an important public health concern. Diagnosis relies on a set of arguments including clinical signs, imaging, histopathologic and mycological analyses of sinus specimens, collected during nasal endoscopy. The sensitivity of fungal cultures is reported to be poor, even when direct examination is positive, thus the epidemiology of fungal chronic sinusitis is ill-known. This study evaluated the sensitivity of molecular diagnosis in 70 consecutive samples (61 patients with CRS) analysed at the University Hospital of Rennes during a 3-year period. DNA detection was performed using a conventional PCR method targeting the ITS1/ITS2 sequence and the resulting amplification products were sequenced. Fungal CRS was proven in 42 patients (69%), of which only 20 (48%) had a positive culture. 37/42 (88%) patients were diagnosed with a fungus ball, 3 with allergic fungal CRS and 2 with undetermined fungal CRS. PCR was positive in all 42 cases and direct sequencing allowed to identify fungi in all cases but one, and detected multiple infection in 3. Aspergillus fumigatus was present in 69% of patients; Cladosporium cladosporoides in 9.5%, Scedosporium sp., A. nidulans and A. flavus in 7% each. In 2/19 patients with negative direct examination, sequencing analysis revealed the presence of Capnobotryella sp. and C. cladosporoides, in clinical settings compatible with fungal sinusitis. In conclusion, ITS1/ITS2 PCR had a twice better sensitivity than culture, and combined sequencing provides accurate epidemiological data on fungal CRS.
ISSN: 1369-3786

hal-01383632
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01383632
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01383632/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01383632/file/Contribution%20of%20molecular%20tools%20for%20the%20diagnosis.pdf
DOI : 10.1093/mmy/myw041

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Outbreaks of the corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastar Acanthaster planci (COTS) represent one of the greatest disturbances to coral reef ecosystems in the Indo-Pacific, affecting not only coral reefs but also the coastal communities which rely on their resources. While injection approaches are increasingly used in an attempt to control COTS densities, most of them display severe drawbacks including logistical challenges, high residual environmental impacts or low cost-effectiveness. We tested a new alternative control method based upon acidic injections of cheap, 100% natural products. We investigated the lethal doses, intra-and inter-specific disease transmission and immune responses of COTS when injected with fresh lime juice (extracted from local Citrus arantifolia) and white spirit vinegar. High COTS mortality was achieved with small volumes: 10–20 ml per seastar induced death in 89%/ 97% of injected specimens after an average 34.3 h/29.8 h for lime juice and vinegar respectively. Highest efficiency was reached for both solutions with double shots of (2 × 10 ml) in two different areas on the body: 100% mortality occurred within 12–24 h, which is similar or faster compared with other current injection methods. Multiple immune measures suggested that death was very likely caused by pH stress from the acidic solutions rather than a bacterial infection. Contagion to either conspecifics or a variety of other reef species was not observed, even at COTS densities 15 times higher than the highest naturally reported. 10 to 20 l lime juice/vinegar could kill up to a thousand COTS at a cost of less than 0.05 USD per specimen; no permits or special handling procedures are required. We conclude that injections of lime juice and vinegar offer great advantages when compared to current best practises and constitute a cheap and natural option for all reefs affected by COTS.
ISSN: 1932-6203

Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
hal-01208272
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01208272
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01208272/document
https://hal-univ-perp.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01208272/file/journal.pone.0137605.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0137605

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a neglected disease with a high incidence in French Guiana, mainly in the middle and upper Oyapock basin, where Amerindian and some Brazilian people live. The main goals of this work were (i) to assess the knowledge about leishmaniasis in the different populations of the middle and upper Oyapock basin, (ii) to study the therapeutic strategies adopted by people affected by leishmaniasis and (iii) to document the use of phytotherapeutic remedies for leishmaniasis. Knowledge, attitudes and practices (K.A.P.) related to this disease and its treatments have been studied according to cultural group and geographical settlement. Within the Wayãpi group, the evolution of the knowledge of phytoremedies over the last 20 years has been characterised by literature-based comparisons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 144 questionnaires were administered in all the villages of the upper Oyapock and Camopi basins. Correspondence analyses were used for multivariate analysis. Plant species were identified at the Cayenne Herbarium (CAY). RESULTS: The biomedical concept of leishmaniasis correlates well with the Teko and Wayãpi concepts of kalasapa and kalasapau. Although the vector of this disease was not correctly identified, the most commonly cited aetiology (74.5%) was vector-borne, and related epidemiological schemes correlate well with the one encountered in French Guiana. Theoretically and practically, health centres were the most commonly used resource for diagnostic in instances of leishmaniasis infection (65.9%), independently of the patient's cultural group, along with the use of pharmaceutical drugs (85.3%). Pharmaceuticals were commonly utilised despite the frequent (51.5%) use of phytotherapeutic remedies, alone or in combination with drugs. The most cited medicinal plant species for the treatment of leishmaniasis included Eleutherine bulbosa (Mill.) Urb. (Iridaceae, cited 14 times), Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Arecaceae, 9), Cecropia obtusa Trecul (Cecropiaceae, 8), Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae, 7), Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. (Bombacaceae, 6) and Carica papaya L. (Caricaceae, 6). Multiple correspondence analyses demonstrated that the species used in leishmaniasis remedies are more prone to vary by the user's place of residence than by their cultural origin, which indicates that exchange of knowledge about leishmaniasis remedies has occurred across different cultural groups. Literature-based comparisons between the remedies for leishmaniasis used by the Wayãpi during the 1980s showed a striking evolution, both in terms of diversity of species and number of plants used. The large number of species shared with other Guianese groups argues for intercultural exchange and may explain the majority (57.1%) of the newly used species highlighted in our study. CONCLUSIONS: Leishmaniasis is a well-known disease in the studied area. Phytotherapeutic treatments are still in use, although they are not the main source of remedies, and should undergo pharmacological studies to evaluate their potential therapeutic value.
ISSN: 0378-8741

pasteur-00634597
https://hal-riip.archives-ouvertes.fr/pasteur-00634597
DOI : 10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.044
PUBMED : 21816216