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A metapopulation is a group of geographically separated sub-populations of a species where there are interactions between the sub-populations. The concept has been usefully applied to understand the impact of patient movements on the spread of drug-resistant bacteria in healthcare settings on a number of previous occasions, but this paper represents the first application of the concept to a large data-set including multiple bacterial species and detailed data on antibiotic usage, another key driver of the spread of resistance . The analysis provides important new insights about how patterns of patient movement within healthcare settings and antibiotic exposures both contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

The menstrual toxic shock syndrome is a rare infection linked to the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in the vaginal microbiota of some women, a bacteria which can produce the toxin TSST-1. However, the presence of this bacteria does not in itself explain the toxic shock. Woman also need to lack the antibodies that are capable of fighting TSST-1 and they need to be using intravaginal protection (tampon, menstrual cup…) for too long.

The team of Sylvain Baize (CIRI, Institut Pasteur, LabEx Ecofect) compared the efficacy of these vaccines against LASV in cynomolgus monkeys. The vaccines were well tolerated and protected the animals from LASV infection and disease after a single immunization but with varying efficacy. The most efficacious vaccine candidate, a measles vector simultaneously expressing LASV glycoprotein and nucleoprotein, has been selected for further clinical evaluation.

The IdBIORIV project, led by Professor Vandenesch of CIRI (Inserm U1111, ENS Lyon, CNRS UMR5308, UCBL) and Professor Jérôme Lemoine of ISA (CNRS UMR 5280, UCBL) and coordinated by the Hospices Civils de Lyon, will develop new ultrafast diagnostic tools for bacterial infections. The goal is to detect in less than an hour the resistance and virulence of bacteria, which will bring a genuine innovative step in the treatment process. The project IdBIORIV has been awarded 5.7 million euros.

Jimena Perez-Vargas, postdoctoral fellow on the Ecofect LabEx, in the team of François-Loïc Cosset (CIRI) demonstrates that the Hepatitis D virus, initially discovered in the liver of patients infected by the Heptatitis B virus, can propagate by 'using' viruses from various viral families.

Emiliano Ricci, Philippe Mangeot and Théophile Ohlmann from the International Center for Research on Infectious Diseases (Lyon), holders of an Ecofect 'Proof of Concept' grant, developed innovative capsules to bring CRISPR / Cas9 to the target DNA. Described in Nature Communications, Nanoblades open up avenues of research for genome editing in human stem cells.