Infectious diseases with passion
He was one of the pioneers in the fight against AIDS in the 1980s and a leading figure in the fight against COVID-19. We look back on a career dedicated to infectious diseases that earned Professor Jacques Reynes the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor on August 27, 2021.
He came very close to becoming a physics teacher. After a flawless academic career at Joffre Middle School and High School in Montpellier, Jacques Reynes considered this career path for a time. But the siren call of medicine was already ringing in his ears, and it was a difficult choice for him... In the end, he chose medicine, and today many patients can be grateful for that decision.
After studying medicine at the Faculty of Montpellier, where he was interested in "everything except surgery, " Jacques Reynes quickly turned his attention to infectious diseases, influenced by André Bertrand, then professor of infectious diseases and therapeutics. After a detour to Nice to complete his internship, the practitioner returned to his hometown and in 1985 became assistant head of clinic at Montpellier University Hospital.
Dark period
It was the 1980s, "a dark period, " recalls Jacques Reynes, referring to the emergence of a new disease that left everyone perplexed: AIDS. "We were dealing with difficult situations that didn't end well," recalls the infectious disease specialist, who decided to tackle the problem head-on. "I wrote my medical thesis on the prevalence of HIV among drug users, a pioneering subject at a time when tests were not yet commercially available."
The man who is now head of the infectious and tropical diseases department at Montpellier University Hospital went on to set up the entire HIV care system in Montpellier, from consultations to day hospitalizations and home care. At the same time, the practitioner, who was appointed professor in 1997, became heavily involved in evaluating new antiretroviral and antifungal treatments, which led to his inclusion in the expert groups drafting recommendations for the care of HIV patients.
Triple mission
For Jacques Reynes, clinical research is an absolutely fundamental aspect of his profession. "We have a threefold mission: teaching, research, and care. Teaching to train young people and share our experience, research to optimize treatments, and care to provide patients with the best possible treatment. " And he is adamant: "If certain patients are still alive today, it is thanks to these innovative treatments." The need for innovation is all the greater given the emergence of drug resistance, which Jacques Reynes points out is "part of life in infectious disease medicine."
And while AIDS treatment today "is less a matter of life and death, " new molecules and strategies are still being evaluated. The challenge? "Improving patients' quality of life, particularly by spacing out treatments," says Jacques Reynes.
Immunocompromised patients
In the new infectious and tropical diseases department building, named the André Bertrand Infectious Diseases Center, Jacques Reynes and his team have 22 hospital beds at their disposal to combat bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. "One disease that has not disappeared is tuberculosis. Between population movements, co-infections with HIV, and resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs, it is a real problem."
Another major challenge is caring for immunocompromised patients, who are highly susceptible to infections. "Transplant patients, those with malignant diseases, or those with inflammatory diseases requiring immunosuppressive treatment all have a higher risk of infection," warns the specialist.
Recognition
This type of care requires a wide range of skills, which are necessary to practice a discipline in which Jacques Reynes has "covered all areas." In fact, for the past four years, infectious diseases has been recognized as a specialty in its own right. This academic recognition has been followed more recently by recognition among the general public. "This is one of the positive aspects of Covid: the general population has become aware of the risk, which is obvious to us, of the contagiousness of viral respiratory diseases."
Infectious diseases, Jacques Reynes' "true passion, " is "a rapidly evolving field that demands attention and responsiveness. " It is a discipline that he has helped to shape over many years, a contribution that had already earned him the Palmes Académiques award before he received the Legion of Honor from Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, on August 27, 2021.