Publications

estimation of stature from cephalo-facial dimensions by regression analysis in indo-mauritian population.	determination of stature from fragmented human remains is vital part of forensic investigation for the purpose of identification. the present study was aimed to modelling the stature both for male and female separately on the basis of craniofacial dimensions. the study was conducted on 150 young and healthy students (75 males and 75 females) in the age group ranging from 20 to 28 years. the stature and fourteen cephalo-facial dimensions were measured on each subject by using standard anthropomet ...	2011	21550566
case report - death by subcutaneous injection of cyanide in sri lanka.	an elderly man was stabbed with a needle and syringe onto his abdomen while asleep. he progressively developed respiratory failure and coma and died an hour later. autopsy findings and laboratory analysis confirmed the death as being due to poisoning by cyanide. this case highlights the need to consider cyanide as a possible agent where there is a rapid death with progressive respiratory failure after injection of an unknown substance. cyanide poisoning by ingestion is frequently seen in suicida ...	2011	21550570
phylogeography of a successful aerial disperser: the golden orb spider nephila on indian ocean islands.	abstract:	2011	21554687
spatial epidemiology of suspected clinical leptospirosis in sri lanka.	summaryleptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world. a large outbreak of suspected human leptospirosis began in sri lanka during 2008. this study investigated spatial variables associated with suspected leptospirosis risk during endemic and outbreak periods. data were obtained for monthly numbers of reported cases of suspected clinical leptospirosis for 2005-2009 for all of sri lanka. space-time scan statistics were combined with regression modelling to test associations dur ...	2011	21676347
spatial and temporal distribution patterns of anopheles arabiensis breeding sites in la reunion island - multi-year trend analysis of historical records from 1996-2009.	abstract:	2011	21708013
occurrence and exposure assessment of perchlorate, iodide and nitrate ions from dairy milk and water in japan and sri lanka.	perchlorate is known to competitively interfere with iodide uptake by the thyroid gland and thereby human exposure to perchlorate is a public health concern. prevalence of perchlorate in dairy milk is documented; nevertheless, co-occurrence of perchlorate with other thyroid-binding monovalent ions such as iodide and nitrate is not well understood. in this study, we analyzed perchlorate, iodide, and nitrate-n in dairy milk, water and other dairy-related samples collected from japan and sri lanka. ...	2011	21738937
molecular characterization of the parasitic tapeworm bertiella studeri from the island of mauritius.	specimens of bertiella studeri (cyclophyllidea, anoplocephalidae) that have been preserved in ethanol or fixed permanently in formalin for >2 years were used for dna extraction and molecular characterization. dna was amplified via pcr from samples collected from different monkey and human hosts using eucestoda-specific primers. phylogenetic trees were inferred from two sets of sequence data corresponding to the first and second halves of the 18s rdna gene using two methods (distance-based nj and ...	2011	21750870
people of the ancient rainforest: late pleistocene foragers at the batadomba-lena rockshelter, sri lanka.	batadomba-lena, a rockshelter in the rainforest of southwestern sri lanka, has yielded some of the earliest evidence of homo sapiens in south asia. h. sapiens foragers were present at batadomba-lena from ca. 36,000 cal bp to the terminal pleistocene and holocene. human occupation was sporadic before the global last glacial maximum (lgm). batadomba-lena's late pleistocene inhabitants foraged for a broad spectrum of plant and mainly arboreal animal resources (monkeys, squirrels and abundant rainfo ...	2011	21777951
variable prevalence and functional diversity of the antiretroviral restriction factor trimcyp in macaca fascicularis.	the retroviral restriction factor trimcyp, derived from the trim5 gene, blocks replication at a post-entry step. trimcyp has so far been found in four species of asian macaques, macaca fascicularis, m. mulatta, m. nemestrina, and m. leonina. m. fascicularis is commonly used as a model for aids research, but trimcyp has not been analyzed in detail in this species. we analyzed the prevalence of trimcyp in samples from indonesia, indochina, the philippines, and mauritius. we found that trimcyp is p ...	2011	21795330
the regional sero-epidemiology of rhinosporidiosis in sri lankan humans and animals.	no data is available in the world literature on serum anti-rhinosporidial antibody levels in animals, and as far as we aware this is the first report. although rhinosporidiosis in farm and domestic animals has been widely reported from other countries, rhinosporidiosis in animals has not been reported in sri lanka, though this country has the highest world-wide prevalence of human rhinosporidiosis on a unit-population basis. serum igg titres in 6 species of sri lankan animals (buffalo, cat, catt ...	2011	21801708
the invaders: phylogeography of dengue and chikungunya viruses aedes vectors, on the south west islands of the indian ocean.	aedes albopictus and aedes aegypti are the two main worldwide arbovirus vectors that have experienced invasion phases. aedes aegypti is a pantropical species that spread centuries ago whereas ae. albopictus started the main wave of invasion in the 1980s. both species have been at various times on the different islands in southwestern indian ocean (swio). this area provides an opportunity to examine the extent to which mosquitoes colonization patterns are influenced by different introductory even ...	2011	21827872
distribution of human papillomavirus genotypes in archival cervical tissue from women with cervical cancer in urban sri lanka.	to identify the contributions of various human papillomavirus (hpv) genotypes in tissue samples from women diagnosed with cervical cancer in sri lanka.	2011	21872246
crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever serosurvey in at-risk professionals, madagascar, 2008 and 2009.	crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever (cchf) is a zoonotic arboviral infection with hemorrhagic manifestation and often a fatal ending. human become infected mainly through tick bite or by crushing infected tick, by contact with blood or tissues from viraemic livestock or patient. cchf virus (cchfv) has been isolated once in madagascar but data on the epidemiology of the disease in the country are very scarce.	2011	21889395
phylogeography and molecular epidemiology of yersinia pestis in madagascar.	plague was introduced to madagascar in 1898 and continues to be a significant human health problem. it exists mainly in the central highlands, but in the 1990s was reintroduced to the port city of mahajanga, where it caused extensive human outbreaks. despite its prevalence, the phylogeography and molecular epidemiology of y. pestis in madagascar has been difficult to study due to the great genetic similarity among isolates. we examine island-wide geographic-genetic patterns based upon whole-geno ...	2011	21931876
impact of different adiposity measures on the relation between serum uric acid and blood pressure in young adults.	serum uric acid (sua) concentration is independently associated with blood pressure (bp) in adults. we examined this association in young adults at an age where anti-hypertension treatment, other potential confounding factors and co-morbidity are unlikely to occur. we assessed bp, anthropometric variables including weight, height, waist circumference (wc), body fat percent (using bioimpedance), lifestyle behaviors, sua and blood lipids in 549 participants aged 19-20 years from a population-based ...	2011	21938014
rights to food with a human face in the global south.	this article seeks to dispel the popular myth surrounding the food crises which precipitated food riots in the global south in 2008. arguing from a structural and historical perspective, the article suggests that global hunger is a deep-rooted crisis that is embedded in the social and structural variables associated within the nation-state that places a restraint on the self-regulating capacity of nation-states in the south. internationalizing the food crisis, however, will do more harm to the s ...	2011	21966710
Timing the origin of human malarias: the lemur puzzle.	ABSTRACT:	2011	21992100
Transmission parameters of vector-borne infections.	Vector-borne infections are those for which the agent (virus, bacteria, or parasite) is transmitted from an infected host (animal or human) to another by a hematophagous arthropod (mosquito, tick, lice, and flea). Two parameters quantify the dynamics of a vector-borne infection: (1) the basic reproductive number (R(0)) that is the mean number of secondary infections transmitted from an infectious host by the bite of the vector and (2) the generation interval that explores the speed of occurrence ...	2011	21993137
Antiplasmodial and antiproliferative pseudoguaianolides of Athroisma proteiforme from the Madagascar Dry Forest.	Investigation of extracts from the plant Athroisma proteiforme (Humbert) Mattf. (Asteraceae) for antimalarial activity led to the isolation of the five new sesquiterpene lactones 1-5 together with centaureidin (6). The structures of the new compounds were deduced from analyses of physical and spectroscopic data, and the absolute configuration of compound 1 was confirmed by an X-ray crystallographic study. Athrolides C (3) and D (4) both showed antiplasmodial activities with IC50 values of 6.6 (3 ...	2011	21995542
Predictors of serological cure and Serofast State after treatment in HIV-negative persons with early syphilis.	Syphilis management requires serological monitoring after therapy. We compared factors associated with serological response after treatment of early (ie, primary, secondary, or early latent) syphilis.	2011	21998287
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in commercial fish and lobsters from the coastal waters of madagascar following an oil spill in august 2009.	concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in species of commercial fish and lobsters following an oil-spill just off the protected madagascan coastline. samples were collected along the coastline within and outside the affected area. summed pah concentrations ranged from 1.9μgkg(-1) to 63μgkg(-1) wet weight, but with no higher molecular weight pahs (>202da) being detected. all concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene were <0.1μgkg(-1) ...	2011	22019195
mathematical studies on the sterile insect technique for the chikungunya disease and aedes albopictus.	chikungunya is an arthropod-borne disease caused by the asian tiger mosquito, aedes albopictus. it can be an important burden to public health and a great cause of morbidity and, sometimes, mortality. understanding if and when disease control measures should be taken is key to curtail its spread. dumont and chiroleu (math biosc eng 7(2):315-348, 2010) showed that the use of chemical control tools such as adulticide and larvicide, and mechanical control, which consists of reducing the breeding si ...	2011	22038083
Morphometric and meristic characterization of Phlebotomus argentipes species complex in northern Sri Lanka: evidence for the presence of potential leishmaniasis vectors in the country.	The transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is of public health concern in Sri Lanka. The parasite Leishmania donovani is reported to be the causative agent for CL in Sri Lanka. However there is no report on the vector of CL in the country. Phlebotomus argentipes sensu lato is the well known vector of L. donovani which causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the nearby South India. The taxon Ph. argentipes previously reported to occur as a species complex comprising of two morphospe ...	2011	22041744
Evaluating ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) from southwestern Madagascar for a genetic population bottleneck.	In light of historical and recent anthropogenic influences on Malagasy primate populations, in this study ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) samples from two sites in southwestern Madagascar, Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve (BMSR) and Tsimanampetsotsa National Park (TNP), were evaluated for the genetic signature of a population bottleneck. A total of 45 individuals (20 from BMSR and 25 from TNP) were genotyped at seven microsatellite loci. Three methods were used to evaluate these populations for evi ...	2012	22052208
Chikungunya: a re-emerging virus.	In the past decade, chikungunya-a virus transmitted by Aedes spp mosquitoes-has re-emerged in Africa, southern and southeastern Asia, and the Indian Ocean Islands as the cause of large outbreaks of human disease. The disease is characterised by fever, headache, myalgia, rash, and both acute and persistent arthralgia. The disease can cause severe morbidity and, since 2005, fatality. The virus is endemic to tropical regions, but the spread of Aedes albopictus into Europe and the Americas coupled w ...	2011	22100854
benefits of wildlife consumption to child nutrition in a biodiversity hotspot.	terrestrial wildlife is the primary source of meat for hundreds of millions of people throughout the developing world. despite widespread human reliance on wildlife for food, the impact of wildlife depletion on human health remains poorly understood. here we studied a prospective longitudinal cohort of 77 preadolescent children (under 12 y of age) in rural northeastern madagascar and show that consuming more wildlife was associated with significantly higher hemoglobin concentrations. our empiric ...	2011	22106297
Diversity of TRIM5a and TRIMCyp sequences in cynomolgus macaques from different geographical origins.	The TRIM5a restriction factor can protect some species of monkeys, but not humans, from HIV infection. It has also emerged that some monkeys have a cyclophilin A domain retrotransposed into the TRIM5 locus resulting in the expression of a TRIMCyp protein with anti-retroviral activity. A high degree of sequence variation in the primate TRIM5 gene has been reported that varies between populations of rhesus macaques, a widely used non-human primate model of HIV/AIDS, and recently shown to correlate ...	2011	22124667
larval development of aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus in peri-urban brackish water and its implications for transmission of arboviral diseases.	aedes aegypti (linnaeus) and aedes albopictus skuse mosquitoes transmit serious human arboviral diseases including yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya in many tropical and sub-tropical countries. females of the two species have adapted to undergo preimaginal development in natural or artificial collections of freshwater near human habitations and feed on human blood. while there is an effective vaccine against yellow fever, the control of dengue and chikungunya is mainly dependent on reducing f ...	2011	22132243
short report: seroprevalence of human leptospirosis in reunion island (indian ocean) assessed by microscopic agglutination test on paper disc-absorbed whole blood.	in the last decade, leptospirosis has emerged as a globally important infectious disease. humans most commonly become infected through occupational, recreational, or domestic contact with the urine of carrier animals, either directly or through contaminated water or soil. the disease occurs in urban areas of industrialized and developing countries as well as rural regions worldwide. we present a retrospective study conducted in 2006 on 2,269 randomly selected reunion island inhabitants. blood sa ...	2011	22144451
A genome sequence resource for the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), a nocturnal lemur from Madagascar.	We present a high-coverage, draft genome assembly of the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), a highly unusual, nocturnal primate from Madagascar. Our assembly totals ~3.0 billion base pairs (3.0 Gb), roughly the size of the human genome, comprised of ~2.6 million scaffolds (N50 scaffold size = 13,597 bp) based on short, paired-end sequencing reads. We compared the aye-aye genome sequence data to the four other published primate genomes (human, chimpanzee, orangutan, and rhesus macaque), as w ...	2011	22155688
human leptospira isolates circulating in mayotte (indian ocean) have unique serological and molecular features.	leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world. however, there is a lack of information on leptospira circulating strains in remote parts of the world. we describe the serological and molecular features of leptospires isolated from 94 leptospirosis patients in mayotte, a french department located in the comoros archipelago, between 2007 and 2010. multilocus sequence typing identified these isolates as l. interrogans, l. kirschneri, l. borgpetersenii, and a previously undefined ...	2011	22162544
genogroup i and ii picobirnaviruses in respiratory tracts of pigs.	sequence-independent amplification and specific reverse transcription pcrs identified genogroup i and ii picobirnaviruses in respiratory tracts of pigs. these data expand knowledge of picobirnavirus diversity and tropism. genetic relationships between porcine respiratory and human enteric picobirnaviruses suggest cross-species transmission of picobirnaviruses between pigs and humans.	2011	22172405
the origins of african plasmodium vivax; insights from mitochondrial genome sequencing.	plasmodium vivax, the second most prevalent of the human malaria parasites, is estimated to affect 75 million people annually. it is very rare, however, in west and central africa, due to the high prevalence of the duffy negative phenotype in the human population. due to its rarity in africa, previous studies on the phylogeny of world-wide p. vivax have suffered from insufficient samples of african parasites. here we compare the mitochondrial sequence diversity of parasites from africa with thos ...	2011	22195007