West Africa International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research: Drug Resistance Patterns to Artemether-Lumefantrine in Senegal, Mali, and The Gambia.

In 2006, artemether-lumefantrine (AL) became the first-line treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Senegal, Mali, and the Gambia. To monitor its efficacy, between August 2011 and November 2014, children with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria were treated with AL and followed up for 42 days. A total of 463 subjects were enrolled in three sites (246 in Senegal, 97 in Mali, and 120 in Gambia). No early treatment failure was observed and malaria infection cleared in all patients by day 3. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-adjusted adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) was 100% in Mali, and the Gambia, and 98.8% in Senegal. However, without PCR adjustment, ACPR was 89.4% overall; 91.5% in Mali, 98.8% in Senegal, and 64.3% in the Gambia (the lower value in the Gambia attributed to poor compliance of the full antimalarial course). However, pfmdr1 mutations were prevalent in Senegal and a decrease in parasite sensitivity to artesunate and lumefantrine (as measured by ex vivo drug assay) was observed at all sites. Recrudescent parasites did not show Kelch 13 (K13) mutations and AL remains highly efficacious in these west African sites

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Valuing the impacts of an invasive biological control agent: a choice experiment on the Asian Ladybird in France

Initially used as a biological control against aphids, the Asian ladybird has become highly invasive in many regions, including Europe. While biological control is usually considered as an environmentally-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides in controlling pests in crops, there is growing concern that these environmental benefits could be outweighed by the negative consequences of the invasion. These include (i) biodiversity losses as populations of native ladybirds suffer from intraguild predation and competition for resources; (ii) human nuisance in houses, including risks of allergy and (iii) potential losses to wine-growers. We provide an economic valuation of environmental and private characteristics affected by the Asian ladybird's invasion. We conduct a discrete choice experiment among a representative sample of the French population. Our results show that the consequences of the Asian ladybird's introduction do affect significantly the population's welfare. Among these, the impact on biodiversity through the threat on native species appears to be a significant concern.Pour cet article, les auteurs ont mené une évaluation monétaire des impacts de la coccinelle asiatique. Cette coccinelle, devenue envahissante, est un agent de lutte biologique introduit dans de nombreuses régions dans le monde, y compris en Europe. Alors que le contrôle biologique est généralement considéré comme une alternative écologique aux pesticides, pour lutter contre les ravageurs des cultures, les conséquences négatives de l'invasion pourraient dépasser les bénéfices environnementaux. Il s'agit notamment (i) des pertes de biodiversité des populations de coccinelles indigènes qui souffrent de la prédation et de la concurrence sur les ressources ; (ii) des nuisances humaines dans les maisons, y compris les risques d’allergies et (iii) des pertes potentielles des viticulteurs en termes qualité du vin. Le but de cet article est d’évaluer ces caractéristiques environnementales et privées concernées par l’introduction de la coccinelle asiatique. Les auteurs ont mené une choice experiment auprès d’un échantillon représentatif de la population française. Nos résultats montrent que les conséquences de l’introduction de la coccinelle asiatique affectent significativement l’utilité de la population. Parmi celles-ci, l’impact sur la biodiversité à travers la menace des coccinelles indigènes semble être une préoccupation importante, avec un consentement à payer non négligeable pour éviter leur disparition

Piégeage de Rhynchophorus phoenicis (Coleoptera : Curculionidae) à l'aide de stéréo-isomères de la phéromone d'agrégation

National audienc

Risks factor for ESBL producing <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> bloodstream infections.

<p>Risks factor for ESBL producing <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> bloodstream infections.</p

Antibiotic resistance rate of <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> isolated from bloodstream infections.

<p>Antibiotic resistance rate of <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> isolated from bloodstream infections.</p

Prevalence and characterization of ESBL and carbapenemase.

<p>Prevalence and characterization of ESBL and carbapenemase.</p

Antibiotic resistance rate according to the ESBL phenotype.

<p>Antibiotic resistance rate according to the ESBL phenotype.</p