Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Society for Microbiology
Résumé : International audience
This study aimed to evaluate the repeated sequence REP-529 compared to the B1 gene for the molecular diagnosis of toxoplasmosis by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in routine diagnosis.Over a ten-year period (2003-2013), all patients prospectively diagnosed with a positive REP-529 qPCR result for toxoplasmosis were included. All DNA samples (76 samples from 56 patients) were simultaneously tested using the two qPCR methods (REP-529 and B1).The mean Ct obtained with the B1 qPCR was significantly higher (+4.71 cycles) than that obtained with REP-529 qPCR (p<0.0001). Thirty-one out of 69 extracts (45.6%) positive with REP-529 qPCR were not amplified with the B1 qPCR (relative sensitivity 54.4%, compared to REP-529), yielding false negative results on 15/28 placentas, 5 cord blood, 2 amniotic fluids, 4 cerebrospinal fluids, 1 aqueous humor, 2 lymph node punctures and 1 abortion product. This defect in sensitivity would have left 20/56 patients undiagnosed, distributed as follows: 12/40 congenital toxoplasmosis, 4/5 cerebral toxoplasmosis, 2/8 patients with retinochoroiditis, and both patients with chronic lymphadenopathy. This poor performance of B1 qPCR could be related to low parasite loads, since the mean Toxoplasma quantification in extracts with B1 false negative results was 0.4 parasite/reaction.These results clearly show the superiority of the REP-529 sequence in the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis by PCR suggest that this target should be adopted as part of standardization of the PCR assay.
ISSN: 0095-1137

hal-01118293
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01118293
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01118293/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01118293/file/A%2010-Year%20Retrospective%20Comparison%20of%20Two%20Target%20Sequences-belaz2015.pdf
PUBMEDCENTRAL : PMC4365238

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Society for Microbiology
Résumé : International audience
Molecular diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis or disseminated toxoplasmosis is based mainly on PCR. The repeated DNA element rep529 has become the main DNA target used in most PCR methods, whether laboratory developed or commercial. In this multicenter study, we evaluated the Toxoplasma ELITe MGB (Elitech) commercial kit by comparison with three reference quantitative PCR assays (RAs) used routinely in three proficient laboratories of the French National Reference Center for Toxoplasmosis network, using Toxoplasma calibrated suspensions diluted to obtain a range of concentrations from 0.1 to 10,000 parasites/ml. These suspensions were extracted with either the DNA extraction kit (EXTRAblood; Elitech) recommended by the manufacturer or the QIAamp DNA minikit (Qiagen). The Toxoplasma ELITe MGB assay was also evaluated on a panel of 128 clinical samples, including 56 amniotic fluid samples, 55 placenta samples, and various other samples, of which 95 originated from patients with proven toxoplasmosis. The ELITe MGB assay amplified low-concentration replicates (<10 parasites/ml) of calibrated suspensions less frequently than the RAs of 2/3 laboratories. Additionally, the combination of EXTRAblood and Toxoplasma ELITe MGB yielded poorer sensitivity than the combination of QIAamp DNA minikit and ELITe MGB for low parasite concentrations (P < 0.001 for 1 parasite/ml). On clinical samples, the sensitivity and the specificity of the commercial assay were 89% and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity ranged from 79% (placenta samples) to 100% (amniotic fluid samples). Overall, this study shows that the Toxoplasma ELITe MGB assay is suitable for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis from non-cell-rich or non-hemoglobin-rich samples and that the EXTRAblood kit is not optimal.
ISSN: 0095-1137

hal-01526432
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01526432
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01526432/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01526432/file/Evaluation%20of%20the%20Toxoplasma.pdf
DOI : 10.1128/JCM.02379-16

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Society for Microbiology
Résumé : International audience
Toxoplasmosis is a life-threatening infection in immunocompromised patients (ICPs). The definite diagnosis relies on parasite DNA detection, but the incidence and burden of disease are ill-known in HIV-negative patients. A three-year retrospective study was conducted in 15 reference laboratories from the network of the French National Reference Center for Toxoplasmosis, to record the frequency of Toxoplasma DNA detection in ICPs, to review the molecular methods used for diagnosis and the prevention measures implemented in transplant patients. During the study period, out of 31,640 PCR performed in ICPs, 610 were positive (323 patients). Blood (n=337), cerebrospinal fluid (n=101) and aqueous humor (n=100) samples were more frequently positive. Chemoprophylaxis schemes in transplant patients differed between centers. PCR follow-up of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (allo-HSCT) patients was implemented in 8/15 centers. Data from 180 patients (13 centers) were further analyzed regarding clinical setting and outcome. Only 68/180 (38%) patients were HIV+; the remaining 62% consisted in 72 HSCT, 14 solid-organ transplants, and 26 miscellaneous immunodeficiencies. Cerebral toxoplasmosis and disseminated toxoplasmosis were most frequently observed in HIV and transplant patients, respectively. Of 72 allo-HSCT patients with a positive PCR, 23 were asymptomatic; all were diagnosed in centers performing systematic blood PCR follow-up, and received specific treatment. Overall survival of allo-HSCT patients at two months was better in centers with PCR follow-up than in other centers (p<0.01). This study provides updated data on the frequency of toxoplasmosis in HIV-negative ICPs and suggests that regular PCR follow-up of allo-HSCT patients could guide pre-emptive treatment and improve outcome.
ISSN: 0095-1137

hal-01134189
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01134189
DOI : 10.1128/JCM.03282-14
PUBMED : 25762774

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
Résumé : International audience
Purpose of review Toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients is associated with a high mortality rate. Molecular techniques are important tools to diagnose acute disease in immunocompromised patients, but there are various methods with variable efficiency. Some of them have been validated for the diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis, but the impact of their use has not been evaluated in immunocompromised patients. Recent findings Toxoplasmosis is of increasing importance in non-HIV immunocompromised patients. In addition, the picture of disease shows greater severity in South America, both in immunocompetent study participants and in congenitally infected infants. These epidemiological differences could influence the sensitivity of diagnostic methods. This review analyzes recent data on molecular diagnosis and compares them with older ones, in light of progress gained in molecular techniques and of recent epidemiological findings. Most recent studies were conducted in South America and used PCR targeting the B1 gene. PCR on blood could allow diagnosing a significant proportion of patients with ocular toxoplasmosis in Brazil. Summary Quantitative PCR methods with specific probes should be used to improve sensitivity and warrant specificity. Performance of quantitative PCR targeting the repeated 529 bp sequence for the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients needs evaluation in field studies in South America and in western countries.
ISSN: 0951-7375

hal-01390970
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01390970
DOI : 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000275
PUBMED : 27191201

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Academy of Neurology
Résumé : International audience
OBJECTIVE: We examined if the CNS Penetration-Effectiveness (CPE) score of antiretroviral drugs was associated with survival after a diagnosis of HIV-related encephalopathy, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), cerebral toxoplasmosis, or cryptococcal meningitis. METHODS: Using data from the FHDH-ANRS CO4, we compared the survival of 9,932 HIV-infected patients diagnosed with a first neurologic AIDS-defining event in the pre-combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) (1992-1995), early cART (1996-1998), or late cART (1999-2004) periods. Follow-up was subdivided (CPE < 1.5 and CPE ≥ 1.5), and relative rates (RR) of death were estimated using multivariable Poisson regression models. RESULTS: In the pre-cART and early cART periods, regimens with CPE ≥ 1.5 were associated with lower mortality after HIV-related encephalopathy (RR 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-0.86 and RR 0.45; 95% CI 0.35-0.58) and after PML (RR 0.79; 95% CI 0.55-1.12 and RR 0.45; 95% CI 0.31-0.65), compared to regimens with CPE < 1.5, while in the late cART period there was no association between the CPE score and the mortality. A higher CPE score was also associated with a lower mortality in all periods after cerebral toxoplasmosis (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.56-0.84) or cryptococcal meningitis (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.34-0.74). Whatever the neurologic event, these associations were not maintained after adjustment on updated plasma HIV-RNA (missing, <500, ≥500 copies/mL) with RR ranging from 0.82 (95% CI 0.36-1.91) to 1.02 (0.69-1.52). CONCLUSION: At the beginning of the cART era, the CPE score was of importance for survival after severe neurologic event, while in the late cART period, the additional effect of CPE score vanished with more powerful antiretroviral regimens associated with plasma viral load control.
ISSN: 0028-3878

hal-00875434
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875434
DOI : 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31820c3089
PUBMED : 21248274

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Diagnosis of toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) in patients with AIDS is not straightforward because clinicians rely initially on an empiric diagnosis based on clinical and radiographic improvement to specific anti-Toxoplasma gondii therapy. There is therefore a need for biological tools to improve the diagnosis of TE, especially in tropical areas where this diagnosis is likely to be underestimated. The use of PCR testing in blood samples for the diagnosis of TE has been limited by its poor sensitivity in the studies conducted in Europe. In tropical South America, the results of PCR sensitivity in blood samples were controversial. Considering that T. gondii strains from tropical South America have substantial genetic and pathogenic differences with those from USA and Europe, it is therefore important to re-evaluate the performance of the PCR assay in blood samples for the diagnosis of TE in AIDS patients from this region. Our results showed that the only interest of PCR would be in the most severe forms of TE with altered consciousness because PCR is more likely to be positive. We also provided important genotyping data on T. gondii strains isolated in human cases of toxoplasmosis in the Caribbean and in South America.
ISSN: 1935-2727

hal-01503761
https://hal-unilim.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01503761
https://hal-unilim.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01503761/document
https://hal-unilim.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01503761/file/journal.pntd.0004790.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004790

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Clin Microbiol Infect ABSTRACT: Atypical Toxoplasma gondii strains, unrelated to archetypal clonal lineages (I, II, III), have been reported more frequently over the last decade in areas other than Europe and North America. A newly described form of toxoplasmosis, 'Amazonian toxoplasmosis' (AT), has been reported since 2002 in French Guiana. It is characterized by severe cases and atypical strains linked to a neotropical forest-based cycle. We report on the cases of AT that required intensive care management. We performed a prospective observational study on hospitalized adults in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from 2002 to 2008. Clinical and laboratory data, microbiological findings and outcomes were recorded. Data, including the ICU simplified acute physiology score and the pneumonia severity index, were calculated. Epidemiological risk factors for AT were assessed through questionnaires. Eleven non-immunodeficient patients were admitted to the ICU in Cayenne for life-threatening pneumonia associated with disseminated toxoplasmosis. Mechanical ventilation was necessary in seven patients, four of whom required immediate orotracheal intubation. Cardiac and ophthalmological abnormalities were found in five and four patients, respectively. One patient died from multiple organ failure. The genetic characterization of Toxoplasma DNA using six microsatellite markers revealed unique and atypical genotypes in eight patients. All patients presented epidemiological risk factors for AT. In French Guiana, significant T. gondii-related infectious syndrome associated with the lungs, a high level of LDH activity and the reported risk factors for AT was strongly suggestive of disseminated toxoplasmosis with a possible trend toward life-threatening pneumonia.
ISSN: 1198-743X

hal-00678752
https://hal-unilim.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00678752
DOI : 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2011.03648.x
PUBMED : 21958195

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : National audience
La Guyane française, de par sa situation géographique et climatique équatoriale – entraînant uneimmense biodiversité – et le caractère multiculturel et multiethnique de sa population, est le siège d’unlarge panel de pathologies infectieuses et tropicales, dont certaines sont assez mal connues.La fièvre Q, la toxoplasmose, la cryptococcose ou l’infection à VIH sont communes aux pays tempérés,mais présentent ici de grandes spécificités, entraînant une prise en charge et un raisonnement médicalparfois différents. De nombreuses pathologies tropicales sont par ailleurs présentes sur un mode endémiqueet/ou épidémique : paludisme, leishmaniose, maladie de Chagas, histoplasmose, dengue, chikungunya, etc.Des personnes ayant séjourné en Guyane peuvent présenter des problèmes infectieux spécifiques deretour sur le continent européen, et ces pathologies doivent pouvoir être évoquées par l’infectiologue.
La Lettre de l'Infectiologue

inserm-01407150
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01407150
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01407150/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-01407150/file/2016%2C%20Epelboin%20-%20L%27infectiologie%20en%20Guyane%20synth%C3%A8se%20med%20trop.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD WB Saunders
Résumé : International audience
: The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii was discovered a little over one hundred years ago and was soon recognized as a pathogen responsible for congenital infection. But detailed understanding of its epidemiology emerged only after 1970 with the discovery of its life cycle. In the last ten years, high resolution molecular tools have allowed the characterization of various strain types with different virulence patterns, and current studies are exploring the distribution of these different genotypes. In parallel, sophisticated diagnostic tools have been developed and awareness of disease burden has led some European countries with high prevalence rates to implement screening of pregnant women. In this article, the screening options and therapies used to prevent congenital toxoplasmosis are dissected in the light of recent data from cohort studies and other epidemiological data.
ISSN: 0163-4453

hal-00875492
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875492
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875492/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875492/file/Robert-Gangneux_-_It_is_not_only_the_cat_that_did_it_-_how_to_prevent_and_treat_congenital_toxoplasmosis_HAL.d.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.jinf.2013.09.023

Résumé : Les études écologiques sont maintenant considérées comme prometteuses en raison de leur capacité à intégrer dans un même modèle autant des facteurs individuels que populationnels. Le mouvement récent de l’open data pourrait jouer un rôle important dans la pérennisation des démarches multidisciplinaires. Cette thèse montre que l’association des méthodes écologiques aux données publiques permet d’éclairer sous un angle nouveau des problématiques des maladies infectieuses.En Guyane Française, des méthodes écologiques dites de séries temporelles couplées aux données climatiques libres ont contribué à une meilleure compréhension du rôle du climat sur la dynamique de la transmission du paludisme, de la leishmaniose cutanée ainsi que de l’histoplasmose disséminée. L’utilisation de méthodes écologiques sur des données libres de la littérature scientifique concernant la séroprévalence toxoplasmose dans les populations humaines a permis d’identifier les principaux facteurs influençant le niveau de séroprévalence globale et indirectement du risque de toxoplasmose congénital associé. L’association de données onusiennes à des méthodes écologiques a permis de montrer qu’une prévalence importante d’ascaridiose est associée à une réduction par 10 de l’incidence du paludisme et l’impact significatif de la corruption sur la mortalité juvéno-infantile et sur les résistances aux anti-tuberculeux. Ces études montrent que l’association des méthodes écologiques aux données publiques permet d’éclairer sous un angle nouveau des problématiques des maladies infectieuses. Ce type d‘étude fournit la flexibilité nécessaire à l’étude des interactions complexes des nombreux déterminants de la santé.
Ecological studies are now considered promising because of their ability to integrate as well as individual factors than populational ones in the same model. The recent open data movement could play an important role in the sustainability of multidisciplinary approaches. The studies developed in this thesis show that the combination of ecological methods with open data could give original results in the issues of infectious diseases.In French Guiana, ecological methods called time series, coupled with open climate data, have contributed to a better understanding of the role of climate on the dynamics of malaria, cutaneous leishmaniasis and disseminated histoplasmosis. The use of ecological methods with open data from the scientific literature concerning toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in human populations has permitted to identify the main factors influencing the level of overall seroprevalence and indirectly to estimate the associated risk of congenital toxoplasmosis.The combination of UN data to ecological methods has shown that a high prevalence of ascariasis is associated with a reduction from 10 in the incidence of malaria and that corruption has a significant impact on child mortality and resistance to TB.The various studies developed in this thesis show that the combination of ecological methods to public data sheds a new light on the issues of infectious diseases. This type of study provides the flexibility to study the complex interactions of many determinants of health.

http://www.theses.fr/2011AGUY0482/document

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
In French Guiana, severe cases of toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent patients are associated with atypical strains of Toxoplasma gondii linked to a wild neotropical rainforest cycle and a higher genetic diversity than usually observed for T. gondii isolates from anthropized environment. This raises the question of the impact of anthropization of the natural environment, on genetic diversity and on the population structure of T. gondii. However, few data are available on strains circulating in the anthropized areas from French Guiana. Seropositive animals originating mainly from anthropized sub-urban areas and punctually from wild environment in French Guiana were analyzed for T. gondii isolation and genotyping. Thirty-three strains were obtained by bioassay in mice and compared with 18 previously reported isolates chiefly originating from the Amazon rainforest. The genotyping analysis performed with 15 microsatellite markers located on 12 different chromosomes revealed a lower genetic diversity in the anthropized environment. Results were analyzed in terms of population structure by clustering methods, Neighbor-joining trees reconstruction based on genetic distances, F(ST,) Mantel's tests and linkage disequilibrium. They clearly showed a genetic differentiation between strains associated to the anthropized environment and those associated to the wild, but with some inbreeding between them. The majority of strains from the anthropized environment were clustered into additional lineages of T. gondii that are common in the Caribbean. In conclusion the two environmental populations "wild" and "anthropized" were genetically well differentiated. The anthropization of the environment seems to be accompanied with a decreased diversity of T. gondii associated with a greater structure of the populations. We detected potential interpenetration and genetic exchanges between these two environmental populations. As a higher pathogenicity in human of "wild" genotypes has been described, the interpenetration of both environments leads to hybridization between strains that may be at risk for human health.
ISSN: 1567-1348

pasteur-00654105
https://hal-riip.archives-ouvertes.fr/pasteur-00654105
https://hal-riip.archives-ouvertes.fr/pasteur-00654105/document
https://hal-riip.archives-ouvertes.fr/pasteur-00654105/file/Mercier_et_al_IGE2011.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.05.003

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Toxoplasma gondii is highly virulent in New World monkeys, but despite numerous outbreaks observed in captive populations there are few reports of molecular characterization of strains. In this article, we describe two outbreaks of toxoplasmosis that occurred in 2001 and 2006 in an outdoor captive breeding colony of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) kept by the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana. A microsatellite DNA analysis of the biological samples collected in the 2001 and 2006 outbreaks showed that two different Toxoplasma strains were involved. The 2001 strain exhibited a type II genotype whereas the 2006 strain showed a combination of type I, type III and atypical alleles. Infection could be related to oocysts contaminating water or food, or to ingestion of rats by monkeys. In 2006, a second episode was observed 3 weeks after the first, and was believed to be related to direct contamination by tachyzoites of bronchopulmonary origin from dying monkeys of the first event. During both outbreaks, a total of 50 monkeys died and none recovered spontaneously, confirming the virulence of both type II and non-type II Toxoplasma strains in New World monkeys.
ISSN: 0304-4017

hal-00408048
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00408048
DOI : 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.04.004
PUBMED : 19423226

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Résumé : International audience
From 1998 through 2006, 44 cases of severe primary toxoplasmosis were observed in French Guiana in immunocompetent adults. Toxoplasma gondii isolates exhibited an atypical multilocus genotype. Severe disease in humans may result from poor host adaptation to neotropical zoonotic strains of T. gondii circulating in a forest-based cycle.
ISSN: 1080-6040

hal-00406549
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00406549
PUBMED : 19331765

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Society for Microbiology
Résumé : International audience
Summary: The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii was discovered a little over 100 years ago, but knowledge of its biological life cycle and its medical importance has grown in the last 40 years. This obligate intracellular parasite was identified early as a pathogen responsible for congenital infection, but its clinical expression and the importance of reactivations of infections in immunocompromised patients were recognized later, in the era of organ transplantation and HIV infection. Recent knowledge of host cell-parasite interactions and of parasite virulence has brought new insights into the comprehension of the pathophysiology of infection. In this review, we focus on epidemiological and diagnostic aspects, putting them in perspective with current knowledge of parasite genotypes. In particular, we provide critical information on diagnostic methods according to the patient's background and discuss the implementation of screening tools for congenital toxoplasmosis according to health policies.
ISSN: 0893-8512

hal-00696903
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00696903
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00696903/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00696903/file/Epidemiologysur and_Diagnostic-accepted.pdf
DOI : 10.1128/CMR.05013-11