Publications

whole-genome analysis of a human rabies virus from sri lanka.	the complete genome sequence of a human rabies virus, strain h-08-1320, from sri lanka was determined and compared with other rabies viruses. the size of the genome was 11,926 nt, and it was composed of a 58-nucleotide 3' leader, five protein genes--n (1353 nt), p (894 nt), m (609 nt), g (1575 nt), and l (6387 nt)--and a 70-nt 5' trailer. the intergenic region g-l contained 515 nt. the sizes of the nucleoprotein, phosphoprotein, matrix-protein, glycoprotein and large-protein was 450, 296, 202, 5 ...	2011	21298456
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
distribution of hla alleles and haplotypes in the maldivian population.	the study of human leukocyte antigen (hla), allele and haplotype frequencies within populations provides an important source of information for anthropological investigation, organ and hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation purposes as well as disease association studies. as of today, there are no data available in the literature on the hla structure of the maldivian population. altogether 106 families were studied. we used the parents of each family (212 unrelated individuals) to analyze the f ...	2011	21299529
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
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
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
gender and population history: sex bias revealed by studying genetic admixture of ngazidja population (comoro archipelago).	the peopling of comoro archipelago is defined by successive waves of migration from three main areas: the east african coast (bantu-speaking populations), the persia and arabian peninsula, and southeast asia (especially indonesia). it follows an apparent classic trihybrid admixture model. to better understand the comorian population admixture dynamics, we analyzed the contributions of these three historical parental components to its genetic pool. to enhance accuracy and reliability, we used bot ...	2011	21312182
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
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
effects of anthropogenic disturbance on indri (indri indri) health in madagascar.	anthropogenic habitat disturbance impairs ecosystem health by fragmenting forested areas, introducing environmental contamination, and reducing the quality of habitat resources. the effect of this disturbance on wildlife health is of particular concern in madagascar, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, where anthropogenic pressures on the environment remain high. despite the conservation importance of threatened lemur populations in madagascar, few data exist on the effects of anthropogeni ...	2011	21344463
distribution and ecological aspects of sand fly (diptera: psychodidae) species in sri lanka.	human indigenous cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by leishmania donovani complex is endemic in sri lanka. we performed an entomological survey to determine the distribution of probable vector species. sand flies were collected in districts in the dry zone, in the wet zone highlands, and in the wet zone coastal belt of sri lanka using cdc light traps, sticky traps and cattle-baited net traps during july, 2005. the survey was reconducted in february, 2006. overall, 584 sand flies belonging to phlebo ...	2011	21366784
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
genetic variation in sh3-domain grb2-like (endophilin)-interacting protein 1 has a major impact on fat mass.	objective:the sh3-domain grb2-like (endophilin)-interacting protein 1 (sgip1) gene has been shown to be differentially expressed in the hypothalamus of lean versus obese israeli sand rats (psammomys obesus), and is suspected of having a role in regulating food intake. the purpose of this study was to assess the role of genetic variation in sgip1 in human disease.subjects:we performed single-nucleotide polymorphism (snp) genotyping in a large family pedigree cohort from the island of mauritius. t ...	2011	21407171
pandemic influenza a(h1n1) 2009 virus outbreak among boarding school pupils in madagascar: compliance and adverse effects of prophylactic oseltamivir treatment.	in october 2009, the first outbreak of pandemic influenza a(h1n1) 2009 virus in madagascar occurred at a school in antananarivo. among the first 12 cases, five were reported in boarding pupils at the school. the school closed 10 days into the outbreak. mass oseltamivir prophylactic treatment was used to contain the outbreak. this study aimed to determine the transmission of infection among boarding school pupils and to evaluate the adverse effects of oseltamivir chemoprophylactic treatment and ...	2011	21444983
[one case of nosocomial a(h1n1)v2009 influenza in réunion island].	a 19-year-old patient admitted in an oncology unit for an autograft (hodgkin disease), developed on day 20 a fatal acute respiratory failure and multiple organ failure due to an infection of the a(h1n1)v2009 virus, which was acquired in the hospital, despite partial preventive measures. at that time, the specific vaccine was not available in réunion. we discuss the nosocomial origin of the infection. following the epidemic wave, the vaccination rate of the general population and the hospital emp ...	2011	21451955
antiproliferative compounds of cyphostemma greveana from a madagascar dry forest.	bioassay-guided fractionation of the etoh extracts obtained from a plant identified as cyphostemma greveana desc. (vitaceae) led to the identification of one macrolide, lasiodiplodin (1), three sesquiterpenoids, 12-hydroxy-15-oxoselina-4,11-diene (2), 1β,6α-dihydroxyeudesm-4(15)-ene (3), and (7r*)-opposit-4(15)-ene-1β,7-diol (5), and a new diterpenoid, 16,18-dihydroxykolavenic acid lactone (4). all the isolates were tested against the a2780 human ovarian cancer cell line, and compound 4 and a fr ...	2011	21480509
a new xpc gene splicing mutation has lead to the highest worldwide prevalence of xeroderma pigmentosum in black mahori patients.	xeroderma pigmentosum (xp) is a rare, recessive disease characterized by sunlight hypersensitivity and early appearance of cutaneous and ocular malignancies. we report the first description of a very high incidence (around 1/5000) of black xp patients in the mayotte population in the indian ocean. among a cohort of 32 xp, we describe the clinical and genetic features of 18 living comorian black xp patients. we discuss the remarkable clinical differences between white and black xps. skin and ocul ...	2011	21482201
genetic diversity, geographical range and origin of bemisia tabaci (hemiptera: aleyrodidae) indian ocean ms.	the whitefly bemisia tabaci is a pest vector of begomoviruses on crops worldwide. bemisia tabaci is composed of a complex of cryptic species which barely interbreed. an exception is the ms from the south west indian ocean (swio), which crosses in low proportions with the exotic b. the ms, together with b and q is part of the same phylogenetic clad. to infer the genetic structure, the geographical range and putative origin of this putative species, microsatellite data and mitochondrial dna (cytoc ...	2011	21492491
[influenza a(h1n1)2009 epidemic in réunion island: experience in the out-patient influenza clinic, july-september 2009.]	from july 6 to september 29, 2009, 380 patients were seen as out-patients for flu-like illness, and 355 files (253 women and 102 men) were available for retrospective analysis. mean age was 32 years. 158 patients, including 22 with a(h1n1)2009 influenza had underlying medical conditions: pregnancy (n = 87), asthma (n = 37), obesity (n = 17). most frequent symptoms of a(h1n1)2009 influenza patients were fever (97% of the patients), cough (94%), rhinorrhea (59%), myalgia (56%), headache (36%). a n ...	2011	21509521
[severe cases of a(h1n1)v2009 infection in réunion island in 2009 and 2010.]	in the southern hemisphere, réunion island acts as a sentinel for infections preferentially occurring during the austral winter that are likely to reach the northern hemisphere a few months later. we relate the main features concerning patients that were admitted during years 2009 and 2010 in our intensive care unit with an a(h1n1)v2009 infection, mainly for acute respiratory distress. demographic, clinical, and biological data as well as given medications and outcome were prospectively collecte ...	2011	21509522
[clinical study of a cohort of 94 children with influenza a(h1n1) on the réunion island.]	we conducted a monocentric retrospective study at the félix-guyon regional hospital, saint-denis, réunion island, from august 1, 2009 to september 30, 2009. we included 94 children with nasal and/or throat swabs tested positive for influenza a(h1n1)v during the study period. we describe the clinical, biological, and radiological presentations, the hospitalization rate, and the antiviral and antibiotic therapies. children between six months and two years were the ones most at risk of severe forms ...	2011	21509523
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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