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Merrouche N, Edouard S, Oumarou Hama H, Gucker D, Thiol S, Orain N, Aboudharam G, Drancourt M, Terrer E. Paleoserological detection of Coronavirus antigens in dental calculus of human remains dating from the beginning of the 19th century, French Ardennes. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:165-171. [PMID: 37986673 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Vanishing viral RNA restricts our ability to detect ancient pathogens, so, we used paleo serological approaches to trace the dynamics of the Coronavirus in ancient populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS We investigated 10 ancient dental calculus samples collected from a cemetery dated to the beginning of the 19th century and excavated in Charleville-Mézières. After paleoserum samples were extracted from dental calculus, paleoserology using mini-line-blot incorporating one alpha-Coronavirus (Coronavirus 229 E) and two beta-Coronavirus (Coronavirus OC 43, SARS-CoV-2) antigens and controls was completed by an automated Western blotting assay. RESULTS Once appropriate controls had validated the data, mini-line-blot detected antibodies against the two beta-Coronavirus antigens in individuals US1300 and US1339, automated Western blotting confirming one beta-Coronavirus antigen for individual US1300 and an additional individual US1326. DISCUSSION Combing mini-line blot and automated Western blot assays made it possible to detect immunoreactive immunoglobulin tracing circulation of Coronavirus in France at the very beginning of the 19th century.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Merrouche
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, MEPHI, Marseille, France
| | - S Edouard
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, MEPHI, Marseille, France
| | - H Oumarou Hama
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, MEPHI, Marseille, France
| | - D Gucker
- Inrap/Centre Michel de Boüard, CRAHAM-UMR 6273, CNRS/Université de Caen, Caen, France
| | - S Thiol
- Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Inrap/Centre archéologique de Reims, Reims, France
| | - N Orain
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - G Aboudharam
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, MEPHI, Marseille, France
- École de Médecine Dentaire, Aix-Marseille-University, Marseille, France
- Pôle Odontologie, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
| | - M Drancourt
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, MEPHI, Marseille, France
| | - E Terrer
- IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, MEPHI, Marseille, France
- École de Médecine Dentaire, Aix-Marseille-University, Marseille, France
- Pôle Odontologie, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France
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Boualam MA, Corbara AG, Aboudharam G, Istria D, Signoli M, Costedoat C, Drancourt M, Pradines B. The millennial dynamics of malaria in the mediterranean basin: documenting Plasmodium spp. on the medieval island of Corsica. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1265964. [PMID: 38143446 PMCID: PMC10739463 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1265964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The lack of well-preserved material upon which to base the paleo-microbiological detection of Plasmodium parasites has prevented extensive documentation of past outbreaks of malaria in Europe. By trapping intact erythrocytes at the time of death, dental pulp has been shown to be a suitable tissue for documenting ancient intraerythrocytic pathogens such as Plasmodium parasites. Methods Total DNA and proteins extracted from 23 dental pulp specimens collected from individuals exhumed from the 9th to 13th century archaeological site in Mariana, Corsica, were analyzed using open-mind paleo-auto-immunohistochemistry and direct metagenomics, Plasmodium-targeting immunochromatography assays. All experiments incorporated appropriate negative controls. Results Paleo-auto-immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of parasites Plasmodium spp. in the dental pulp of nine teeth. A further immunochromatography assay identified the presence of at least one Plasmodium antigen in nine individuals. The nine teeth, for which the PfHRP-2 antigen specific of P. falciparum was detected, were also positive using paleo-autoimmunohistochemistry and metagenomics. Conclusion Dental pulp erythrocytes proved to be suitable for the direct paleomicrobiology documentation of malaria in nine individuals buried in medieval Corsica, in agreement with historical data. This provides additional information on the millennial dynamics of Plasmodium spp. in the Mediterranean basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Abdelwadoud Boualam
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Univ, Institut de recherche pour le développement , Microbes, Evolution, Phylogénie et Infection, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Anne-Gaëlle Corbara
- Aix-Marseille Univ, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, LA3M, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Gérard Aboudharam
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Univ, Institut de recherche pour le développement , Microbes, Evolution, Phylogénie et Infection, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Daniel Istria
- Aix-Marseille Univ, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, LA3M, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Michel Signoli
- Aix-Marseille Université, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Établissement français du sang, Anthropologie bio-culturelle, droit, éthique et santé, Marseille, France
| | - Caroline Costedoat
- Aix-Marseille Université, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Établissement français du sang, Anthropologie bio-culturelle, droit, éthique et santé, Marseille, France
| | - Michel Drancourt
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Univ, Institut de recherche pour le développement , Microbes, Evolution, Phylogénie et Infection, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Bruno Pradines
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Unité Parasitologie et Entomologie, Département Microbiologie et Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Univ, Institut de recherche pour le développement, Service de Santé des Armées, Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille, VITROME, Marseille, France
- Centre National de Référence du Paludisme, Marseille, France
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Oumarou Hama H, Boualam MA, Levasseur A, Ardagna Y, Adalian P, Chaix AC, Drancourt M. Old World Medieval Treponema pallidum Complex Treponematosis: A Case Report. J Infect Dis 2023; 228:503-510. [PMID: 37440462 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Introduction of 1 Treponema pallidum complex pathogen in naive European populations following the return of Christopher Columbus' troops from Central America in 1493 is a central dogma in venereology. METHODS Among skeletal elements from the seventh or eighth century uncovered in Roquevaire, France, individual RS-1003 femur macroscopically suspected of having an infectious disease was investigated by means of paleoautoimmunohistochemistry, direct metagenomics, and paleoserology, along with 1 control femur from an apparently healthy individual (R-1003) and experimental negative controls. RESULTS RS-1003 femur showed infectious bone; paleoautoimmunohistochemistry of the lesions led to microscopic detection of a T. pallidum complex pathogen. Phylogenetic analyses comprising 71 T. pallidum complex-specific reads covering 2.37% of the T. pallidum subsp. pallidum reference genome sequence revealed an ancestral T. pallidum complex pathogen in the lesion. Paleoserology detecting T. pallidum-specific antigens confirmed positive serological findings in individual RS-1003. Individual R-1003 and the negative controls remained negative. CONCLUSIONS This case, predating by 8 centuries previous detections of T. pallidum complex treponematosis in Europe, indicated that European populations were not naive to these pathogens before the 1493 introduction of a Central American T. pallidum complex pathogen overwhelming the T. pallidum ones previously circulating in the Old World. These data break a century-old dogma in medical microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamadou Oumarou Hama
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, MEPHI, Institut Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Institut Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Mahmoud A Boualam
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, MEPHI, Institut Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Institut Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Anthony Levasseur
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, MEPHI, Institut Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Institut Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Yann Ardagna
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Etablissement Français du Sang, Anthropologie, Droit, Ethique et Santé, Marseille, France
| | - Pascal Adalian
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Etablissement Français du Sang, Anthropologie, Droit, Ethique et Santé, Marseille, France
| | - Annie-Claire Chaix
- Association pour la Sauvegarde du Patrimoine Historique et Culturel de la Commune de Roquevaire, Roquevaire, France
| | - Michel Drancourt
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, MEPHI, Institut Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Institut Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
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Boualam MA, Heitzmann A, Mousset F, Aboudharam G, Drancourt M, Pradines B. Use of rapid diagnostic tests for the detection of ancient malaria infections in dental pulp from the sixth century in Versailles, France. Malar J 2023; 22:151. [PMID: 37161537 PMCID: PMC10169320 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04582-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Paleomicrobiological data have clarified that Plasmodium spp. was circulating in the past in southern European populations, which are now devoid of malaria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of immunodetection and, more particularly, rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), in order to further assess Plasmodium infections in ancient northern European populations. METHODS A commercially available RDT, PALUTOP® + 4 OPTIMA, which is routinely used to detect malaria, was used to detect Plasmodium antigens from proteins recovered from ancient specimens extracted from 39 dental pulp samples. These samples were collected from 39 individuals who were buried in the sixth century, near the site of the current Palace of Versailles in France. Positive and negative controls were also used. Antigens detected were quantified using chemiluminescence imaging system analysis. RESULTS Plasmodium antigens were detected in 14/39 (35.9%) individuals, including Plasmodium vivax antigens in 11 individuals and Plasmodium falciparum antigens co-detected in two individuals, while Pan-Plasmodium antigens were detected in three individuals. Controls all yielded expected results. CONCLUSIONS The data reported here showed that RDTs are a suitable tool for detecting Plasmodium spp. antigens in ancient dental pulp samples, and demonstrated the existence of malaria in Versailles, France, in the sixth century. Plasmodium vivax, which is regarded as being responsible for an attenuated form of malaria and less deadly forms, was the most prevalent species. This illustrates, for the first time in ancient populations, co-infection with P. falciparum, bringing into question the climate-driven ecosystems prevailing at that time in the Versailles area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud A Boualam
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Univ, IRD, MEPHI, AP-HM, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Annick Heitzmann
- Direction du Patrimoine et des Jardins, Château de Versailles, Place d'Armes, 78008, Versailles, France
| | - Florence Mousset
- Direction régionale des affaires culturelles d'Île-de-France, Service Régional de l'archéologie, 311 Rue Le Peletier, 75009, Paris, France
| | - Gérard Aboudharam
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Univ, IRD, MEPHI, AP-HM, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
- Ecole de Médecine Dentaire, Aix-Marseille Univ, Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Michel Drancourt
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Univ, IRD, MEPHI, AP-HM, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Bruno Pradines
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
- Unité parasitologie et entomologie, Département microbiologie et maladies infectieuses, Institut de recherche biomédicale des armées, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
- Aix-Marseille Univ, IRD, SSA, AP-HM, VITROME, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
- Centre national de référence du paludisme, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
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van der Kuyl AC. Historic and Prehistoric Epidemics: An Overview of Sources Available for the Study of Ancient Pathogens. EPIDEMIOLOGIA (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 3:443-464. [PMID: 36547255 PMCID: PMC9778136 DOI: 10.3390/epidemiologia3040034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Since life on earth developed, parasitic microbes have thrived. Increases in host numbers, or the conquest of a new species, provide an opportunity for such a pathogen to enjoy, before host defense systems kick in, a similar upsurge in reproduction. Outbreaks, caused by "endemic" pathogens, and epidemics, caused by "novel" pathogens, have thus been creating chaos and destruction since prehistorical times. To study such (pre)historic epidemics, recent advances in the ancient DNA field, applied to both archeological and historical remains, have helped tremendously to elucidate the evolutionary trajectory of pathogens. These studies have offered new and unexpected insights into the evolution of, for instance, smallpox virus, hepatitis B virus, and the plague-causing bacterium Yersinia pestis. Furthermore, burial patterns and historical publications can help in tracking down ancient pathogens. Another source of information is our genome, where selective sweeps in immune-related genes relate to past pathogen attacks, while multiple viruses have left their genomes behind for us to study. This review will discuss the sources available to investigate (pre)historic diseases, as molecular knowledge of historic and prehistoric pathogens may help us understand the past and the present, and prepare us for future epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoinette C. van der Kuyl
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ; Tel.: +31-205-666-778
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Dallmeier K. Palaeoserology - teeth put into ancient plagues and pandemics. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 15:1940-1942. [PMID: 35478431 PMCID: PMC9249320 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on archived medical records and evolutionary modelling, a Coronavirus has been hypothesized as root and causative agent of the so‐called ‘Russian Flu’ pandemic that surged in 1889–1890. In a Correspondence published in this volume of Microbial Biotechnology, Ramassy and colleagues try to support historical evidence by true experimental data using 'palaeoserology', a novel approach combining archaeology and modern immunological analysis. This Opinion piece tries to weigh arguments how strong such data may be, and where a refinement of methodology might be desirable before textbooks of medical history switch to call the 1890s pandemic ‘Russian Corona’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Dallmeier
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Molecular Vaccinology and Vaccine Discovery, KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Leuven, Belgium
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Ramassy L, Oumarou Hama H, Costedoat C, Signoli M, Verna E, La Scola B, Aboudharam G, Barbieri R, Drancourt M. Paleoserology points to Coronavirus as possible causative pathogens of the 'Russian flu'. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 15:1943-1945. [PMID: 35384322 PMCID: PMC9111311 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Ramassy
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, 13005, France
| | - Hamadou Oumarou Hama
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, 13005, France
| | | | - Michel Signoli
- CNRS, EFS, ADES, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Emeline Verna
- CNRS, EFS, ADES, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Bernard La Scola
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, 13005, France
| | - Gérard Aboudharam
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, 13005, France
| | - Rémi Barbieri
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, 13005, France.,CNRS, EFS, ADES, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Michel Drancourt
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.,IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, 13005, France
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Oumarou Hama H, Aboudharam G, Barbieri R, Lepidi H, Drancourt M. Immunohistochemical diagnosis of human infectious diseases: a review. Diagn Pathol 2022; 17:17. [PMID: 35094696 PMCID: PMC8801197 DOI: 10.1186/s13000-022-01197-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunohistochemistry (IHC) using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies is a useful diagnostic method for detecting pathogen antigens in fixed tissues, complementing the direct diagnosis of infectious diseases by PCR and culture on fresh tissues. It was first implemented in a seminal publication by Albert Coons in 1941. MAIN BODY Of 14,198 publications retrieved from the PubMed, Google, Google Scholar and Science Direct databases up to December 2021, 230 were selected for a review of IHC techniques, protocols and results. The methodological evolutions of IHC and its application to the diagnosis of infectious diseases, more specifically lice-borne diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and skin infections, were critically examined. A total of 59 different pathogens have been detected once in 22 different tissues and organs; and yet non-cultured, fastidious and intracellular pathogens accounted for the vast majority of pathogens detected by IHC. Auto-IHC, incorporating patient serum as the primary antibody, applied to diseased heart valves surgically collected from blood culture-negative endocarditis patients, detected unidentified Gram-positive cocci and microorganisms which were subsequently identified as Coxiella burnetii, Bartonella quintana, Bartonella henselae and Tropheryma whipplei. The application of IHC to ancient tissues dated between the ends of the Ptolemaic period to over 70 years ago, have also contributed to paleomicrobiology diagnoses. CONCLUSION IHC plays an important role in diagnostic of infectious diseases in tissue samples. Paleo-auto-IHC derived from auto-IHC, is under development for detecting non-identified pathogens from ancient specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamadou Oumarou Hama
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille-Univ., IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Gérard Aboudharam
- Aix-Marseille-Univ., IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille-Univ., Ecole de Médecine Dentaire, Marseille, France
| | - Rémi Barbieri
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille-Univ., IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Hubert Lepidi
- Aix-Marseille-Univ., IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Laboratoire d'Histologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France
| | - Michel Drancourt
- IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.
- Aix-Marseille-Univ., IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.
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