Multicenter EuroTravNet/GeoSentinel Study of Travel-related Infectious Diseases in Europe

We analyzed prospective data on 17,228 European patients who sought treatment at GeoSentinel sites from 1997 to 2007. Gastrointestinal illness (particularly in tourists), fever (those visiting friends and relatives [VFRs]), and skin disorders (in tourists) were the most common reasons for seeking medical care. Diagnoses varied by country of origin, region visited, or categories of travelers. VFRs who returned from sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean islands were more likely to experience falciparum malaria than any other group. Multiple correspondence analysis identified Italian, French, and Swiss VFRs and expatriate travelers to sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean Islands as most likely to exhibit febrile illnesses. German tourists to Southeast and south-central Asia were most likely to seek treatment for acute diarrhea. Non-European travelers (12,663 patients from other industrialized countries) were less likely to acquire certain travel-associated infectious diseases. These results should be considered in the practice of travel medicine and development of health recommendations for European travelers

Mécanisation d’une connexion HDMI pour tests répétés

Enveloppe Solea

Deciphering the sedimentary imprint of tsunamis and storms in the Lesser Antilles (Saint Martin): A 3500-year record in a coastal lagoon

International audienceOur study aims at identifying and characterizing tsunami and storm deposits by combining sedimentological, geochemical, and radiocarbon dating analyses. X-ray computed microtomography (micro-CT) is used to characterize the sedimentary fabric of the deposits. The study was conducted on a transect of oriented short sediment cores from a small lagoon at Saint Martin (Lesser Antilles), where both event types could be observed. Using micro-CT data of different event deposits, we were able to derive paleo-flow orientations and directions and compare the dynamics of the events to their environmental setting. The results showed that seven extreme-wave event (EWE) deposits, originating from hurricanes or tsunamis, had the highest Ca/Fe ratios, distinctive for marine input to the lagoon, and were characterized by coarser grains. Some also presented above the sandy part of the event deposit a siliciclastic geochemical signal rich in fine siliciclastic sediment with organic matter, which might correspond to backwash deposits. The thickness and frequency of these sandy EWE deposits in our cores decreased from the proximal to the distal zone in the center of the lagoon, with high lateral and vertical variability in sediment thickness. The youngest EWE deposit relates to the unprecedentedly powerful Category 5 Hurricane Irma, which barely left a fine layer of sand in the lagoon, demonstrating the lagoon's resilience to tropical storms. Five of the six other EWEs, characterized by micro-CT-derived sedimentary fabric, likely originated from tsunamis and occurred over the last 3500 years BP with a recurrence interval of 300–400 years, based on radiocarbon dating. A well-studied tsunami deposit from Pre-Columbian times (∼400 years BP) showed oriented sedimentary fabric, which could be used for paleo-flow reconstruction and EWE-type distinction in the Lesser Antilles, suggesting the use of an additional method for identifying EWE-type deposits in the geological record rather than other methods alone. To develop effective strategies for mitigating the natural hazards faced by communities in the coastal areas of the Lesser Antilles, it will be crucial to examine EWEs in the Caribbean region beyond historic times successfully