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Back in 2016, a team from Inserm had made a major contribution to the development of an aerosol capable of rapidly administering, into the deepest reaches of the lungs, an antidote to ricin. Ricin is highly toxic when inhaled and dreaded in the event of a bioterrorism attack.

Three years: this is the time it took an Inserm team at the Research Center for Respiratory Diseases (Tours) to develop an aerosol capable of depositing a ricin antidote into the deepest reaches of the lungs. This research was performed as part of an international consortium, involving the Université de Tours, the French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA) and DTF medical (Saint-Etienne), a company specialized in innovative medical devices.

Among the challenges addressed: adapt this antibody for clinical use and, above all, succeed in effectively delivering it into the lungs – particularly into the small air sacs where ricin has a devastating effect.  This is the reason why the French army sought the help of an Inserm laboratory specialized in biological medicinal product administration via the respiratory route.  The project was funded by the French government defense procurement and technology agency (DGA).

Usutu is an arbovirus from the same family as the Zika and West Nile viruses. Like its cousins, it is transmitted by mosquitoes. While we know that it is responsible for high mortality in birds, principally passerines, knowledge on human pathology remains limited.

As with other arboviruses, the majority of cases of human infection are probably asymptomatic. Nevertheless, rare neurological complications have been reported, justifying further research into its mechanism of action.

Only 26 cases of human infection by Usutu have been reported in Europe, a figure which is most certainly underestimated according to Yannick Simonin, lecturer-researcher specialized in the virus, given the non-existence of commercial screening tests and the general ignorance of the associated symptoms.

Animal studies show very strong neurological tropism of Usutu. Very recently, Simonin and his team from Unit 1058 “Pathogenesis and control of chronic infections” (Inserm/Université Montpellier/Montpellier University Hospital/ EFS) published in Emerging Infectious Diseases results showing its presence in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient from Montpellier University Hospital in 2016, confirming this neurotropism. The clinical symptoms of the patient, which included temporary facial paralysis, had not until that point been linked to any specific disease. Additional investigations are necessary if we are to improve our understanding of the clinical picture associated with this emerging virus.

The research activities developed by JRU 1058 include determining the virulence, notably neuronal, of the various Usutu strains circulating in France in order to compare them in the laboratory and evaluate their pathogenicity. The Unit is also studying the transmission mechanisms of the virus in order to better elucidate the associated risks.

The Astre unit of CIRAD partner of Unit 1058 for this study, is also participating in vector mapping the Usutu virus.

Reluctance, or indeed mistrust, towards immunization, is an understandable sentiment, particularly among young parents when their babies are about to be immunized. While this principle may currently seem less vital, or even optional, to parents who no longer face the same tragedies arising from infection as in the past, it nonetheless remains an essential public health measure.

Mandatory immunization came into force on January 1, 2018, and has thus given rise to concerns and debate in public opinion. Numerous scientific falsehoods are doing the rounds, underlining the so-called hazards of vaccines, and debating the relevance of immunization. On December 18, Inserm published a Clarification which aims to provide the scientific perspective on the 11 vaccines which will be mandatory for all infants in France in 2018.

In the face of these rumors, Alain Fischer, pediatrician, immunology researcher, coordinator of Concertation Citoyenne sur la vaccination, and Philippe Sansonetti, specialist in infectious diseases, microbiology researcher, author of “Vaccins”, both professors at the Collège de France, have joined forces to offer an in-depth review of every aspect of immunization.

The Sentinel network, a collaborative surveillance system developed by Inserm and Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC), is made up of 1,300 primary care practitioners, and approximately one hundred independent pediatricians, spread over mainland France. The network is coordinated by the “Transmissible Diseases Surveillance and Modeling” team at the Inserm and UPMC Pierre Louis Epidemiology and Public Health Institute (iPLESP), in collaboration with the French National Public Health Agency (ANRS) and Santé Publique France (French Public Health Agency). The data are transferred in real time, based on 9 health indicators. Analysis of these data thus makes it possible to estimate the weekly incidence rate for each indicator, and to monitor changes at national level.

According to the weekly Sentinel network newsletter dated December 13, 2017, the incidence rate for cases of acute diarrhea is above the epidemic threshold (188 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). According to the Sentinel network, it is still too early to talk about an epidemic, strictly speaking, and the level of activity for acute diarrhea should remain stable in the next few weeks.

The Sentinel network states that the highest incidence rates for acute diarrhea have been observed in the Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur, Pays de la Loire, and Hauts-de-France regions.

On the other hand, influenza syndrome, until now well below the epidemic threshold, has increased from 19 cases, to 98 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. The highest incidence rates have been observed in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Brittany, and Centre-Val de Loire regions. The Sentinel network, which now comprises a new instrument for detecting influenza epidemics developed with Santé Publique France (French Public Health Agency), indicates a marked increase in influenza activity in mainland France.