Explore the vast range of titles available.

Introduction Medical virology requires students to master complex concepts in a limited timeframe, yet traditional lectures often struggle to sustain engagement and ensure long-term retention. Serious games have emerged as promising tools to promote active learning. Building on the success of BacteriaGame, ViroGame was developed to reinforce virology knowledge through gamification. This study evaluated its effectiveness in enhancing student engagement, knowledge mobilization, and supervisor-perceived feasibility for curricular integration. Materials and methods A total of 318 learners participated in ViroGame sessions during the 2023–2024 academic year. Of these, 266 students/residents completed a structured questionnaire assessing with likert scale [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 – 5 ] gameplay fluidity, knowledge consolidation, perceived difficulty and potential integration with BacteriaGame. Nine supervisors also provided evaluations on rule clarity, session management and educational value. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U tests and Chi-squared tests, with qualitative feedback examined thematically. Results Residents rated gameplay fluidity significantly higher than students (4.4/5 vs. 4.1/5; p  = 0.039). Both groups reported high knowledge mobilization scores (students 4.5/5; residents 4.3/5; p  = 0.378). Nearly half perceived some content as exceeding expected knowledge, despite alignment with national standards (47.4% vs. 41.8%; p  = 0.482). A greater proportion of students than residents reported difficulties with virological concepts (78.9% vs. 60.3%; p  = 0.021), particularly regarding diagnostic methods and viral structures. Supervisors rated the game positively, endorsing its use primarily as a revision tool. Discussion ViroGame is a well-received, effective and engaging tool for teaching medical virology. It promotes active learning, collaboration and knowledge retention while addressing the inherent complexity of virology. Further controlled studies are planned to evaluate its long-term impact on learning outcomes and exam performance.

New Candida species such as Candida auris have emerged recently as important invasive fungal diseases. We report a case of C. bovina bloodstream infection in a 94-year-old patient in France. The species led to identification issues because it was misidentified by phenotypic and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry methods.

Neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection (HSV infection in infants less than 6 weeks of age) is rare but mortality and morbidity rates are high after disseminated disease and encephalitis. In France, the epidemiology is poorly described, and two decades ago, incidence was estimated to be 3 per 100,000 live births a year. We describe determinants, epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of neonatal HSV infection in a managed-care population attending in two major obstetric and paediatric centres, Paris, France, over a 10-year period. This retrospective case series study was conducted from 2013 to 2023, in infants less than 42 days of age who had virologically confirmed HSV infection. We report an overall rate of neonatal herpes of 5.5 per 100,000 live births a year and an incidence of symptomatic cases of 1.2 per 100,000 live births a year. HSV-1 was the major serotype involved (84.2%) and post-natal acquisition through the orolabial route reached 63.2%. All neonates who had neonatal HSV PCR screening (owing to clinical signs in parents) and who received prompt acyclovir treatment remained asymptomatic. Symptomatic forms accounted for 21.1% cases of the total and mortality was high (62.5% of symptomatic forms).     Conclusion : This case series confirms that neonates at risk for HSV disease and poor outcome are those born to HSV-seronegative mothers, preterm infants, and those who received acyclovir after onset of symptoms (mainly because mothers did not present evidence of acute HSV infection). Our study confirms the major role of HSV-1 and the frequency of its early post-natal acquisition. What is known: •  Neonatal herpes simplex virus infection is rare but motality and morbidity rates are high after disseminted disease and encephalitis. National recommendations exist worldwide but mangement of this disease is not always easy. What is new: •  As in France epidemiology of neonatal herpes is poorly described, our report is potentially an important addition to the existing literature. Moreover, we describe local practice that may be useful to physicians.