[Chronic kidney disease in geriatrics]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects almost 10% of the world's population, and over 30% of people aged over 70 [1,2]. The overall incidence of treated CKD is stable in France, but continues to rise sharply in people aged over 85 [3]. In its advanced stages, CKD is associated with numerous complications linked to disturbances in water, acid-base and phosphocalcium balance, as well as anemia and increased cardiovascular risk. A better understanding of risk factors, improved practices to promote nephroprotection, and progress in therapeutic education and preparation for suppletive techniques would help reduce this risk.

[Substitution treatments for chronic kidney disease in geriatrics: dialysis, transplantation and medical treatment without dialysis]

Kidney disease, whether acute or chronic, is a particularly common condition in the elderly, due to its main risk factors, the prevalence of which increases with age, and the fact that recovery from acute tubular damage is slower. Wherever possible, treatment of renal failure should be anticipated and discussed with the patient as part of a shared medical decision. Numerous treatment options are available to ensure maximum integration into the patient's life and care plan: renal transplantation for the most robust patients, hemodialysis in a care facility or at home, peritoneal dialysis at home, or medical treatment without dialysis. The choice of one of these treatments must leave the patient free to change his or her treatment modality at any time.

Vaccine breakthrough hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs

Life-threatening "breakthrough" cases of critical COVID-19 are attributed to poor or waning antibody (Ab) response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in individuals already at risk. Preexisting auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs underlie at least 15% of critical COVID-19 pneumonia cases in unvaccinated individuals; their contribution to hypoxemic breakthrough cases in vaccinated people is unknown. We studied a cohort of 48 individuals (aged 20 to 86 years) who received two doses of a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine and developed a breakthrough infection with hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia 2 weeks to 4 months later. Ab levels to the vaccine, neutralization of the virus, and auto-Abs to type I IFNs were measured in the plasma. Forty-two individuals had no known deficiency of B cell immunity and a normal Ab response to the vaccine. Among them, 10 (24%) had auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs (aged 43 to 86 years). Eight of these 10 patients had auto-Abs neutralizing both IFN-α2 and IFN-ω, whereas two neutralized IFN-ω only. No patient neutralized IFN-β. Seven neutralized type I IFNs at 10 ng/ml and three at 100 pg/ml only. Seven patients neutralized SARS-CoV-2 D614G and Delta efficiently, whereas one patient neutralized Delta slightly less efficiently. Two of the three patients neutralizing only type I IFNs at 100 pg/ml neutralized both D614G and Delta less efficiently. Despite two mRNA vaccine inoculations and the presence of circulating Abs capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs may underlie a notable proportion of hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia cases, highlighting the importance of this particularly vulnerable population.

Severe Strongyloidiasis in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: Should We Preventively Treat the Recipient, the Donor, or Both?

Strongyloidiasis is caused by a soil-transmitted helminth that is endemic in tropical and subtropical countries. The parasite can complete its life cycle without leaving the host, allowing autoinfection and persistence. The risk of infection in travelers is low, but the disease may become lethal following immunosuppression. In case of solid organ transplantation, the risk of donor transmission has been suspected for several years. However, the management of live donors in this context has only recently been considered, and no guidelines exist for the management of deceased donors. To highlight the complexity of diagnosing, treating, and preventing strongyloidiasis donor transmission, we describe a case of possible transmission of severe strongyloidiasis to a kidney transplant recipient with limited travel history. Taking into account the difficulty of diagnosing chronic strongyloidiasis infection and the increase in travel and immunosuppressive treatments, we recommend pragmatic management guidelines to limit the risks of infection.

Infectious complications in HIV-infected kidney transplant recipients

Renal transplantation is now a viable alternative for dialysis in HIV-infected patients who achieve good immunovirological control with current antiretroviral therapy regimens available. However, there are few studies that analyze the incidence of post-transplant infections in this population. In this study, a retrospective analysis of data files of 24 HIV-infected kidney transplant (KT) recipients was undertaken, matched to 21 non-infected controls. All patients received induction with anti-interleukin-2 antibodies and were followed in the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, France. The rate of incidence of post-transplant infections was 23.58 and 26.98/100 patient-years, in HIV-infected and HIV-negative groups (relative risk [RR]: 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58-1.39; p = 0.63). In HIV-infected KT recipients, bacterial infections were the most frequent (67.7%), followed by viral (14.7%) and fungal and parasitic infections (8.8%). Similar trends were seen in the control group. Incidence of opportunistic infections was similar in HIV-infected KT recipients and controls (38.2 vs. 26.5%; p = 0.44). There were three post-transplant HIV reactivations in two patients, secondary to poor adherence to medication. HIV status did not influence survival, but infections increased the risk of unfavorable outcome. Incidence of post-transplant infections was similar in HIV-infected KT recipients and controls. Infections, but not HIV status, had adverse effects on patient and graft survival.