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www.gabriel-network.org March 2020 | Issue 28 MEMBERS NEWS Keeping you updated! In brief The Mérieux Fondation, has worked closely with Prof. Contents Philippe Vanhems from “Les Hospices Civils de Lyon” ■ In brief and with Prof. Jianwei Wang from the Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, to strengthen the GABRIEL capacity to detect ■ Launch of APRECIT study: Improvement of the and control the SARS-CoV-2 infection. This support consists Management of Tuberculosis of two linked approaches: (i) capacity building and transfer Infection of technology to rapidly implement a SARS-CoV-2 molecular assay, and (ii) a study on the evaluation of the risk of nosocomial ■ Functional Pulmonary Microbiome of Severe transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 for a better knowledge of the Respiratory Tract Infections chains of transmission and the impact of infection, prevention and Risk Assessment and control practices in healthcare settings. ■ European Virus Archive Global A new member joined the GABRIEL network in 2019: the (EVA-GLOBAL) São Paulo Institute of Tropical Medicine (IMT-SP) of the ■ Pneumonia in children under University of São Paulo. This institution will bring new expertise 5 years old: a case-control to the network and will help strengthen the Rodolphe Merieux multicentric study of the Laboratory’s research activities based in Rio Branco, in the GABRIEL network state of Acre, Brazil. ■ Workshop on Molecular and Serological Arbovirus Diagnostics in Dakar ■ GABRIEL member publications since October 2019 The São Paulo Institute of Tropical Medicine (IMT-SP), a specialized institute of the University of São Paulo, is divided into different laboratories with specialized personnel devoted to research and teaching in areas related to tropical diseases. Global Approach to Biological Research, Infectious diseases and Epidemics in Low-income countries 1/14 www.gabriel-network.org March 2020 | Issue 28 In addition, through its link with the Hospital treatment and viral resistance), HPV infection, das Clinicas (HC-FMUSP), the largest respiratory infections, viral phylogeny, central public hospital in Latin America, the IMT- nervous system infections, therapeutic trials SP develops collaborative research with for yellow fever, in addition to other topics. groups in this hospital. IMT-SP operates Researchers at the Virology laboratory are seven laboratories specialized in the studies associated with several international scientific of parasites, bacteria, viruses, and fungi, as networks. well as in the genetics of microorganisms, Cassia Mendez Correa, São Paulo Institute of immunology, and public health. Tropical Medicine, University of São Paulo, Current research is focused on bacterial Brazil resistance (antibiotic-resistant infections and nosocomial infections; Mycobacterium Launch of APRECIT study: Improvement resistance; mechanisms of drug resistance of the Management of Tuberculosis of M. tuberculosis; diagnostic tests for Infection Mycobacterium resistance), Chagas disease biomarker discovery, Leishmania pathogenesis and diagnosis, arbovirus infections; emerging infectious agents; HIV, immunology of fungal infections, blood safety, HTLV, and viral hepatitis. The Virology laboratory, one of the institute’s seven laboratories, was created in the year 1959 when the IMT-SP was founded. Tuberculosis (TB) comes in two forms, The Virology laboratory has a full range active TB and latent TB. The latter has of equipment and covers a surface area become part of the intervention strategy of approximately 600m2 on two floors. It for TB control programs, supported by has currently directed its research focus recent recommendations from the World towards arboviruses (characterization and Health Organization (WHO). The WHO validation of diagnostic tests for dengue, recommends the early management of zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, and the vulnerable populations (i.e. children under 5 development of cell cultures, conventional years of age and people living with HIV) who serology, real time PCR, sequencing and have had household contact with a case of metagenomics). Also included are infections tuberculosis. These groups are said to be in immunosuppressed patients, viral hepatitis at risk, since the probability of developing (research on hepatitis A, B, C, delta, E and active TB within 6 months to a year after TTV; viral hepatitis co-infection with HIV contact is high. However, the operational and other viruses; diagnosis, pathogenesis, implementation of these recommendations Global Approach to Biological Research, Infectious diseases and Epidemics in Low-income countries 2/14 www.gabriel-network.org March 2020 | Issue 28 presents several issues: 1) access to an 18-month period and will receive a total vulnerable populations in the community, 2) of four home visits for medical follow-up and the latent TB screening strategy, and 3) the for the early identification of subjects who patient’s adherence to latent TB prophylaxis have become symptomatic during the study. that currently lasts 6 months. The results of this operational study will The objective of APRECIT, Amélioration de la make it possible to provide the national TB PRise En Charge de l’Infection Tuberculeuse, control program with recommendations (Improvement of the Management of around diagnostic tools and to improve the Tuberculosis Infection), a study funded by care given to these vulnerable populations. Expertise France and coordinated by the Niana Rakoto, Pasteur Institute of Madagascar Fondation Mérieux (2020-2023), is to provide support to national TB control programs Sara Eyangoh, Pasteur Center of Cameroon in Cameroon and Madagascar for the Jonathan Hoffmann, Laurent Raskine, Mérieux implementation of these recommendations Foundation and, more broadly, for the fight against TB. Functional Pulmonary Microbiome of The Pasteur Center of Cameroon (CPC) and the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar Severe Respiratory Tract Infections and (IPM) will coordinate the project, structured Risk Assessment around community interventions among 2,500 household contacts who have been Acute respiratory infections (ARIs), and identified from 250 index cases of TB patients. particularly pneumonia, are one of the Community officials and clinical research leading causes of mortality, accounting for associates will raise awareness in the more than 4.2 million deaths annually, mainly communities and conduct follow-up surveys affecting children in developing countries like in the homes of these contacts. Medico- Bangladesh. Various studies have reported social staff will be involved in supporting and an alarming rate of morbidity and mortality in monitoring vulnerable populations receiving Bangladesh mostly attributable to pneumonia preventive treatment. and other respiratory infections. Moreover, the economic burden due to respiratory Screening of latent TB will be carried out infections is crippling for many families with a tuberculin skin test (IDR, standard in the country. In recent decades with the test), as well as with two immunological tests development of sequencing technologies, measuring the production of interferon-y lower airways are no longer considered (Interferon gamma release assay): the fully sterile, and a growing amount of QuantiFERON-TB test gold plus and T-Spot evidence indicates that a healthy pulmonary TB. These IGRA tests will be carried out in microbiome can undergo transient changes the National Reference Laboratories for TB, that may impact the progression of respiratory hosted in the CPC and the IPM. All of the diseases. Furthermore, new evidence household contacts will be followed up over points to differences in the microbiome of Global Approach to Biological Research, Infectious diseases and Epidemics in Low-income countries Global Approach to Biological Research, Infectious diseases and Epidemics in Low-income countries 3/14 www.gabriel-network.org March 2020 | Issue 28 lower airways between healthy subjects Jianwei Wang, Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, and those with respiratory infections and Institute of Pathogen Biology, China diseases. Our study aims to characterize the diversity of pulmonary microbiome in European Virus Archive Global patients with pneumonia and in healthy (EVA-GLOBAL) controls, so as to elucidate the functions of pulmonary microbiome in disease onset and severity. Specimens for this study are to be collected from both enrolled adults and children suffering from pneumonia in two tertiary hospitals in Dhaka. Initially, as based on the signs and symptoms of pneumonia, nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) specimens will be collected for pathogen screening by the multiplex real-time PCR technique. EVA-GLOBAL gathers 38 academic Finally, A total of 300 cases (n=100 positive institutions at the forefront of human, animal, cases for each of the pathogens studied, and plant research in virology in association namely, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), with key non-governmental organisations that influenza virus (IFVs), and Streptococcus include the World Health Organization, OIE, pneumoniae) will be selected for further FAO, and related international organisations, analysis. Corresponding controls (n=80-100) such as the CGIAR (Consultative Group on for each pathogen-positive group will be International Agricultural Research). This recruited. Blood specimens will be collected new international project, created on the from all selected patients. Transcriptomics strong foundations resulting from the two analysis using the deep-sequencing method previous projects, EVA (2009-2014) FP7,