key: cord-0045205-tbqzgaf8
authors: Cambau, Emmanuelle; Gutmann, Laurent; Mainardi, Jean-Luc; Goldstein, Fred; Hoi, Annie Buu; Collatz, Ekkehard; Poljak, Mario; Kahlmeter, Gunnar; Phillips, Ian; Baquero, Fernando
title: Jacques F. Acar (1931 –2020)
date: 2020-06-11
journal: Clin Microbiol Infect
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.06.001
sha: 367513318afe8fb0b7bb336bfc1f7d4533ee7690
doc_id: 45205
cord_uid: tbqzgaf8

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Familiarized with this scientific approach to extended clinical microbiology, he was promoted Professor of clinical microbiology at Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (now Sorbonne Université), where he worked for 30 years. In his later years he also became an expert in the "One Health" perspective, particularly how animal health is linked to human health, and he was remaining active and even passionate, looking forward to understand the interactive ecology of pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance until the day of his death.

Looking back at his scientific achievements, we appreciate his providing us a deep understanding of microbes, their relationship with disease and their response to antimicrobial treatment. He published, together with his collaborators, what trainees consider today as having been "known forever", such as, among others, the clinical cross resistance between penicillins and cephalosporins in MRSA [1] , the cross resistance between antibiotics of different families due to porin alterations in Gram-negative bacilli [2] , the efficacy of combination therapy with fluoroquinolones and rifampicin for Staphylococcus aureus osteo-articular infections [3] , the post-antibiotic effect [4] , the conservation of synergy between trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in case of resistance to sulfamethoxazole [5] , the failure to cure patients with typhoid fever in case of a first-step quinolone resistance [6] , the reduced activity of glycopeptides against staphylococci [7, 8] , the notion of evolution of new beta-lactamases [9] and the occurrence of Bartonella infections in homeless people [10] … From 1960 to 2013, most of Jacques F. Acar's publications reflected his curiosity about, and his anticipation of, new challenging topics in CM and ID, from endocarditis to mediastinitis, without neglecting common infections such as appendicular peritonitis and urinary tract infections. His favoured pathogens were S. aureus, then Nocardia species, Gram-negative bacilli and also Streptococcus pneumoniae [11] , including all the nutritionally deficient forms of staphylococci and streptococci [12, 13] , which were not that well known at the time. He was keenly interested in every new antimicrobial, testing and retesting most of them against the bacterial isolates that were routinely banked at his two laboratories at Saint Joseph and Broussais hospitals [14] .

Noteworthy is also his creation of the first team dedicated to « Antimicrobial Finally, it must not be forgotten that in 1995 Jacques F. Acar became the first Editor-in-Chief of the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection (CMI), a project that had been under discussion for three years at that time and that has evolved since into one of the leading journals in the field, with an impact factor by now of 6,425.

He was also an independent thinker, interested by considering the "truth" beyond the fashion and appearance, and recommending the value of "thinking" to reach an equilibrate, perpetual consideration of the scientific facts and needs. Deep friend of his friends, compassionate with everybody -one of his favourite reading was the poetic "Book of Job" (complaining that most people in our days are unaware about it). He will also be remembered for his singing with baritone voice and his love of culture, art and opera music as well as for his fondness for world travel and the treasures he gathered along the way.

Our sincere condolences go to all his family. He will be forever with us.

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcemia: bacteriological failure of treatment with cephalosporins

Cross-resistance to nalidixic acid, trimethoprim, and chloramphenicol associated with alterations in outer membrane proteins of Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Serratia

New quinolones in the treatment of joint and bone infections

Recovery period and the exposure of bacteria to subminimal inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics

Synergistic activity of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole on gram-negative bacilli: observations in vitro and in vivo

Typhoid fever due to a Salmonella typhi strain of reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones

Decreased teicoplanin susceptibility of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus

Percentages and distributions of teicoplanin-and vancomycin-resistant strains among coagulase-negative staphylococci

Development of resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics with special reference to third-generation cephalosporins

Bartonella (Rochalimaea) quintana endocarditis in three homeless men

A seventeen-year epidemiological survey of antimicrobial resistance in pneumococci in two hospitals

Human infections caused by thiamine-or menadionerequiring Staphylococcus aureus

Nutritionally deficient streptococci: electron microscopic study of 14 strains isolated in bacterial endocarditis

International comparison of prevalence of resistance to antibiotics

Seven years survey of susceptibility to marbofloxacin of bovine pathogenic strains from eight European countries

Antimicrobial resistance: a complex issue