Pasteurdon 2024: journey into the heart of the Institut Pasteur's research for journalists – tour of the CNR for Meningococci and haemophilus influenzae ; press kit

Closer to the challenges of invasive meningococcal disease

On September 16, in the run-up to the latest edition of Pasteurdon, the Institut Pasteur opened the doors of its campus on Rue du Docteur Roux for a tour organized exclusively for journalists.

Some twenty journalists from news agencies, the national daily press, regional newspapers, magazines, the medical press, radio and television came along to meet the team at the National Reference Center (CNR) for Meningococci and haemophilus influenzae led by Muhamed-Kheir Taha, and especially to find out more about their mobilization in the face of the current resurgence of invasive meningococcal infections since the Covid-19 epidemic.

Following a collaborative approach based on review of the CNR’s database, the scientists revealed that the post-COVID period shows an unprecedented resurgence in cases of meningococcal infections in France. Since autumn 2022, newly reported cases have mainly been caused by meningococcal serogroups that were less frequent before the pandemic, and there has been a particular uptick in cases among people aged 16 to 24 with more atypical symptomatic forms that are more complex to identify. This resurgence in meningetis infections should be monitored particularly closely, even more so in view of the approaching winter season and seasonal flu. The current challenge lies in adapting the vaccine strategy.

The tour elicited a great deal of interest from the journalists, who will be reporting on the work carried out and the importance of Pasteurdon in articles or reports to be broadcast ahead of the launch of the operation on October 9.

 

Check out the press kit

Each year, the Pasteurdon press kit provides journalists with a handy document full of detailed information about the upcoming campaign. This year is no exception, and the highly informative press kit was presented to journalists during a press visit to campus on September 16 on the theme of meningococcal infections. This operation serves to spread the word even further among the journalist community about research and its health challenges and promote the Institut Pasteur’s scientific research in keeping with its commitments. It also offers an opportunity to reiterate the importance of funding for research and the need for donations.
 
Contents include an editorial by Yasmine Belkaid, messages from the Pasteurdon 2024 ambassador and the Institut Pasteur patrons, the results of a survey on what the French think about taking women's health into account in research...

You can also check out the four research topics highlighted this year that showcase the diversity of the projects conducted by the Institut Pasteur's scientists to tackle public health challenges:

•  Evolutionary genomics for the biological diagnosis of endometriosis (Camille Berthelot team) 

•  A better understanding of neonatal infections and the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments (Bich-Tram Huynh team) 

• Bacterial meningitis alert: a microbiological watch for better therapeutic and preventive control (Muhamed-Kheir Taha team) 

•  Global warming and population mixing: an explosive cocktail for mosquito-borne diseases (Anna-Bella Failloux team).

 Check out the press kit (in French)

Photos: Myriam Rebeyrotte, François Gardy