Laboratory study of the biology and behaviour of Diplonychus sp (Belostomatidae) and its vector competence in the transmission to humans of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the pathogen causing Buruli ulcer in Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa).

Buruli ulcer is a skin infection caused by a mycobacterium occurring in the environment, Mycobacterium ulcerans.  Ranked third in terms of number of mycobacterial infections after leprosy and tuberculosis, its epidemiology is the most poorly understood of the three. Humans are infected through the skin while performing daily living activities (e.g. rice cultivation, fish farming, fishing, laundry, fetching water, agricultural work) or leisure activities (e.g. bathing) in endemic areas. The disease is particularly prevalent in West Africa, where the number of cases is increasing annually (2442 cases in 2008). Côte d’Ivoire is the most severely affected country in the world with more than 25 000 cases since 1978. The numerous endemic foci for Buruli ulcer are scattered throughout the country. Over the past four years impressive progress has been made in researching the mode of transmission of M. ulcerans infection. Yet despite this, many questions remain unanswered. In Central and West Africa aquatic insects of the order Hemiptera appear to be involved in the transmission of Buruli ulcer.  It is likely that aquatic Hemiptera play a role.  Studies of the salivary glands of insects that have been experimentally infected and allowed to bite white mice demonstrate the probable role of water bugs as hosts or possible vectors of M. ulcerans. In addition, at least 10% of environmental biological specimens tested positive using PCR in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire. These pterygot insects are also able to fly from one body of water to another over varying distances, attracted by lights in houses near marshy areas. This method of displacement could account for the current progression of the disease in West Africa and particularly in Côte d’Ivoire, where it is spreading northwards from the south, west, east and centre of the country.   Buruli ulcer is not a contagious disease.  It is, however, terrifying and severely disabling.  Patients must spend long periods in hospital, treatment is costly and burdensome, and can lead to social marginalization or even total exclusion; above all, the mode of transmission is still poorly understood.  Local people must therefore be familiarized with preventive measures focusing on identification of the probable vectors of the disease in order to break the chain of transmission of M. ulcerans. This presupposes a sound knowledge of the biology, ecology and behaviour of these potential vectors. Accordingly, we have proceeded to laboratory farm the bug most commonly encountered in the environment that shows the highest rates of infection by M. ulcerans (more than 10%), namely Diplonychus sp of the family Belostomatidae. Adult specimens were collected in the vicinity of fishponds at an experimental station situated between Abidjan and Dabou (a non-endemic site) and subsequently farmed in the laboratory at the Côte d’Ivoire National Institute of Public Health. The parameters used to farm this water bug were standardized in the laboratory (water quality, depth, turbidity, pH, temperature, luminosity, suitable vegetable environment). The insects were fed regularly with mosquito larvae. The embryonic lifespan, the hatching time, the larval period and the number of larval stages prior to adulthood were studied. The adult lifespan was also estimated. Five successive generations of Diplonychus sp were obtained. From egg to adulthood, the larval lifespan is 41 days on average, with deviations from the mean of 29 to 54 days.  Hatching generally took place 7 days after egg laying.  Five larval stages are distinguishable, separated by five metamorphoses.  The lifespan of certain adults obtained in the laboratory varied between 16 and 150 days.  The last original parental specimens survived for 11 months.  Proficiency in the laboratory farming of Diplonychus sp could enable us to decode its genome and collect saliva samples, while also allowing us to perform experimental infections using human strains of M. ulcerans in order to confirm or rule out the involvement of this insect in the transmission of Buruli ulcer in Central and West Africa

La peche artisanale maritime en Cote d'Ivoire: le potentiel de peche

The marine artisanal fishery in Ivory Coast covers all the continental shelf, with high activities around Abidjan and San-Pedro. Four types of fishing tackles are recorded: purse seines, beach seines, gillnets and lines. The first three ones are used by Fanti and Awran, who represent three quarters of total artisanal fishermen; lines are used by Ghan, Aladjan and Nanakrou. Canoe, the only artisanal way of navigation, varies in size and shape according to the different fishing communities

Ecology and diversity of freshwater shrimps in Banco National Park, Côte d’Ivoire (Banco River Basin)

Shrimps are an important component of river invertebrate assemblages in tropical freshwater where they are a controlling group in food webs. In order to determine shrimp diversity in the Banco Basin (Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa) and examine whether the patterns of species distribution were related to environmental conditions, six sites were monitored. Sampling was conducted in 2008 during February, May, September and November using a long-handled net (25-cm diameter, 2-mm mesh). For each site, we measured environmental variables (conductivity, pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, current speed, and water depth and width). Three shrimp species, Macrobrachium thysi (Powell 1980), Macrobrachium dux (Lenz 1910) and Desmocaris trispinosa (Aurivillius 1898) were identified. D. trispinosa was the largest distributed (more than 50% of occurrence) and the most abundant (67% of total number of specimens caught). It was followed by M. thysi with 47% and 32% of occurrence and abundance, respectively. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed a spatial distribution of the shrimp community, significantly influenced by width, depth, conductivity, type of substrate, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. Due to the fact that the Banco River hosts an endemic species in Côte d’Ivoire (Macrobrachium thysi), the conservation of integrity of this basin was recommended

Entomological investigations carried out from 2002 to 2010 into the involvement of water bugs (Heteroptera - Hemiptera) in transmission of Mycobacterium ulcerans to humans in Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)

Ulcer is a disease caused by a mycobacterium present in the environment: Mycobacterium ulcerans.This communicable disease occurs essentially in wet tropical regions, and in particular in west Africa where it is endemic. It is the third most common mycobacterial disease affecting humans after leprosy and tuberculosis, although it is more prevalent than either leprosy or tuberculosis in some rural areas of several countries (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana). This has led WHO to act, and in 1998 to declare Buruli ulcer an « emerging disease » and to recognize it as a neglected tropical disease. Its development is a source of concern in Côte d’Ivoire, the country most affected in the world, with an aggregate number of 30 000 cases and more than 2000 cases detected each year. It particularly affects children living in isolated rural areas around bodies of stagnant or slowly flowing water.  In order to control the disease, it is essential fully to understand its epidemiology. In this connection, there are several hypotheses on the mode of transmission of M. ulcerans to humans. Since 1999, the involvement of water bugs belonging to the order of the hemiptera has been invoked by Portaels. In 2002, this hypothesis was confirmed by Marsollier et al. for water bugs of the genus Naucoris taken from the region of Daloa in Côte d’Ivoire, where the disease is endemic. In 2008, Portaels also found M. ulcerans in samples taken from the environment (Gerridae) in Ghana. In 2007, studies began in Côte d’Ivoire into the specific diversity, biology, ecology, ethology and role of aquatic heteroptera in the transmission of M. ulcerans to humans. Samples of aquatic heteroptera were collected each month from different aquatic environments in endemic areas of Côte d’Ivoire. The insects were identified by family, genus and occasionally species. Their distribution, population dynamics and ecological distribution in the water points investigated were correlated with human activities. Monospecific batches of water bugs were regularly composed in order to identify the molecular signatures of M. ulcerans using PCR at the bacteriology laboratory of the Institut Pasteur in Côte d’Ivoire and at the bacteriology laboratory of the Groupe d’Etudes des Interactions Hôtes-Pathogènes (Host-Pathogen Study Group) at the University Teaching hospital in Angers, France. Eighteen (18) species belonging to 8 families were identified. After the aquatic insects collected had been identified, 283 monospecific batches were composed and sent to the Institut Pasteur in Côte d’Ivoire (IPCI) for PCR. Twenty four (24) of the 283 batches i.e. 8,5% containing the following, 14 Diplonychus sp, 2 Naucoris sp, 3 Micronecta sp, 2 Ranatra fusca, 2 Anisops sp and 1 Laccotrephes ater, respectively belonging to the families Belostomatidae, Naucoridae, Corixidae, Ranatridae and Nepidae tested positive under PCR. Thirty five (35) samples of saliva were collected from specimens of the genus Diplonychus. Six of the samples (i.e. 17%) tested positive under PCR. Out of 109 other monospecific batches sent to the laboratory in Angers, France, 33 (i.e. 30%) tested positive under PCR. They comprised 11 batches of Diplonychus sp (Belostomatidae), 8 batches of Micronecta sp (Corixidae), 2 batches of Laccocoris sp (Naucoridae), 4 batches of Ranatra fusca (Ranatridae), 3 batches of Anisops sp, 1 lot de Anisops sardea et 1 lot de Enithares sp (Notonectidae), 2 batches of Plea pullula (Pleidae) and 1 batch of de Laccotrephes sp (Nepidae). Clearly, not only is Diplonychus sp the genus most commonly found, it is also that most affected by M. ulcerans. This justifies the decision to breed this genus in the laboratory since 2008, in order to improve our understanding of its biology and ethology and to standardize physical and chemical parameters so as to determine the best conditions for breeding the insect which would provide an animal model for experimental infections. We have now bred six successive generations in the laboratory. To conclude, although some aquatic heteroptera that host M. ulcerans are strictly phytophagous, (e.g. the Corixidae), the great majority of water bugs are carnivorous predators that are hosts and vectors of M. ulcerans. The absence of a reliable key for determining the family, genus and species in central and west Africa has led us to draw up an iconographic catalogue to determine the taxonomy of these insects

Arthroscopic Treatment of Acetabular Retroversion With Acetabuloplasty and Subspine Decompression: A Matched Comparison With Patients Undergoing Arthroscopic Treatment for Focal Pincer-Type Femoroacetabular Impingement.

BackgroundGlobal acetabular retroversion is classically treated with open reverse periacetabular osteotomy. Given the low morbidity and recent success associated with the arthroscopic treatment of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), there may also be a role for arthroscopic treatment of acetabular retroversion. However, the safety and outcomes after hip arthroscopic surgery for retroversion need further study, and the effect of impingement from the anterior inferior iliac spine (subspine) in patients with retroversion is currently unknown.HypothesisArthroscopic treatment for global acetabular retroversion will be safe, and patients will have similar outcomes compared with a matched group undergoing arthroscopic treatment for focal pincer-type FAI.Study designCohort study; Level of evidence, 2.MethodsPatients undergoing hip arthroscopic surgery for symptomatic global acetabular retroversion were prospectively enrolled and compared with a matched group of patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery for focal pincer-type FAI. Both groups underwent the same arthroscopic treatment protocol. All patients were administered patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures, including the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) Physical Component Summary (PCS) and a Mental Component Summary (MCS), modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS), and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively.ResultsThere were no differences in age, sex, or body mass index between 39 hips treated for global acetabular retroversion and 39 hips treated for focal pincer-type FAI. There were no major or minor complications in either group. Patients who underwent arthroscopic treatment for global acetabular retroversion demonstrated similar significant improvements in postoperative PRO scores (scores increased by 17 to 43 points) as patients who underwent arthroscopic treatment for focal pincer-type FAI. Patients treated for retroversion who also underwent subspine decompression had greater improvement than patients who did not undergo subspine decompression for the HOOS-Pain (33.7 ± 15.3 vs 22.5 ± 17.6, respectively; P = .046) and HOOS-Quality of Life (49.7 ± 18.8 vs 34.6 ± 22.0, respectively; P = .030) scores.ConclusionArthroscopic treatment for acetabular retroversion is safe and provides significant clinical improvement similar to arthroscopic treatment for pincer-type FAI. Patients with acetabular retroversion who also underwent arthroscopic subspine decompression demonstrated greater improvements in pain and quality of life outcomes than those who underwent arthroscopic treatment without subspine decompression

Evaluation de l’introgression du caractère croissance lente de quelques géniteurs Akpadanou (origine Bénin) chez quelques géniteurs améliorés de palmier à huile (E. guineensis Jacq.) de l’origine La Mé (Côte d’Ivoire)

La vitesse de croissance en hauteur de 294 arbres appartenant à 11 descendances de palmier à huile a été évaluée selon la méthode décrite par Jacquemard (1980). Ces descendances ont été obtenues à partir de plusieurs croisements de type (AKN3 x La Mé) x La Mé et (AKN3 x La Mé) x (La Mé x La Mé) qui visaient à introduire le caractère croissance lente de l’origine Akpadanou (Benin) chez des géniteurs améliorés de l’origine La Mé, Côte d’Ivoire. Les descendances ont été comparées à un témoin vulgarisé de type DA10D x LM2T. Les résultats ont montré que l’ensemble des descendances testées ont une vitesse de croissance en hauteur moyenne inférieure au témoin. En effet, les valeurs obtenues ont varié de 19,86 à 35,89 cm/an au sein de ces descendances testées, contre 45,25 cm/an pour le témoin de l’essai. Une réduction de plus de 20% de la vitesse de croissance en hauteur a donc été observée au niveau de ces descendances. Ces résultats laissent entrevoir la perspective de sélection, à terme, de matériel végétal à croissance en hauteur fortement réduite et possédant un bon niveau de production de régimes et d’huile de palme.Mots clés : Sélection, palmier amélioré, croissance en hauteur réduite

Prediction of the production of oil palms (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) by inflorescences and bunches counting method in the Dabou region (Cote d'Ivoire)

Knowledge of the expected production for the next six months allows the managers of agro-industrial plantations of oil palms to better organize their technical and financial management. However, the estimation methods must be easy to apply, yet sufficiently accurate. This study was initiated in order to contribute to the development of a model for the estimation of oil palm production on the one hand and to evaluate the sensitivity of the method face the data necessary for this forecast. These data are of two types: the actual production data and the inflorescence and bunch count data. The experiment was carried out on the experimental station Robert-Michaux of the CNRA of Dabou, located in the South-East of the Côte d'Ivoire. The proposed methodology is based on the duration of plan formation and maturation. It takes 5.5 to 6 months between the exit of the female inflorescence and the harvest of the corresponding ripe bunch. Counting of bunches and female inflorescences in the crown provides information on the number of rips bunches to be harvested in the next six months. The evolution of the average weight of bunches harvested previously makes it possible to predict the average weight of bunches that will be harvested during the same period. The model makes it possible to estimate the tonnage of production for the next six months provided that, for a plantation unit, it can be applied to representative samples of the whole. The yield is translated into production at different scales taking into account planting density. The estimated production variations and those of the previous production make it possible to estimate production in the months to come. The results are very satisfactory, with error accuracy of 9 %. They demonstrate the economic and technical interest of such a method in the case of production sites with little information on the conditions of oil palm cultivation

Interrupting seasonal transmission of Schistosoma haematobium and control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in northern and central Côte d’Ivoire: a SCORE study protocol

© The Author(s). 2018 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. The attached file is the published version of the article

Évaluation de la sensibilité de sept clones de palmier à huile (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) à Coelaenomenodera lameensis Berti et Mariau (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) Konan J.

Objectifs : Évaluer la sensibilité de 7 clones d’Elaeis guineensis à Coelaenomenodera lameensis (Coleoptera : Hispinae) et estimer les dégâts occasionnés par l’insecte au terme d’un cycle de développement complet sur chaque type de matériel clonal.Méthodologies et Résultats : des insectes adultes de C. lameensis ont été transposés sur des folioles de clones d’Elaeis guineensis isolés dans des manchons. L’évolution des insectes a été ensuite observée à chaque étape du cycle normal de développement de C. lameensis. Les dégâts provoqués par l’insecte ont été estimés par le rapport entre la surface de foliole attaquée et la surface totale de foliole. Les résultats ont montré que certains clones étaient moins favorables au développement de l’insecte que d’autres. Le clone LMC247, avec 53,80 % ± 2,56 de surface foliaire attaquée, a été plus sensible à l’insecte que les autres clones LMC159, LMC161, LMC022, LMC010, LMC270 et LMC291 où les dégâts observés ont été en dessous de 25%..Conclusion et Application : au regard des résultats, il ressort que le développement de C. lameensis est influencé par le type de matériel clonal. Les dégâts sur les clones testés ont été généralement de faible intensité. Cette approche expérimentale, laisse présager de bonnes perspectives pour la lutte génétique contre C. lameensis.. En effet, plus de 300 clones de palmier ont déjà été crées en Côte d’Ivoire. Un criblage élargi à l’ensemble de ce matériel va permettre d’identifier à terme des clones performants pour contrôler le ravageur, au regard de l’homogénéité de ce type de matériel végétal.Mots clés : clone, palmier à huile, lutte génétique, Coelænomenodera lameensisEvaluation of seven oil palm clones (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) sensibility to Coelaenomenodera lameensis Berti and Mariau (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)Objective: this study aims to evaluate seven oil palm clones sensibility to Coelaenomenodera lameensis (Coleoptera: Hispinae) and to estimate the damage caused by this insect on each type of clonal material.Methods and results: adult insects of C. lameensis were transposed on Elaeis guineensis clones leaflets isolated in canvas bags. Insect evolution was observed at each stage of normal development cycle of C. lameensis. The damage caused by the insect was estimated using the ratio of the surface of leaflet attacked and the total surface of leaflet. The results showed that some clones were less favorable to the development of C. lameensis than others. The clone LMC247, with 53.80 ± 2.56% of leaf surface attacked was more susceptible to C. lameensis than the other clones LMC159, LMC161, LMC022, LMC010, LMC270 and LMC291. For these clones, the damages noted were below 25% of leaf area attacked.Conclusion and application: the results showed that C. lameensis development depended of the clones. Overall, a low intensity of damage was observed on the leaflet of the clones. This experimental approach suggests good projection for genetic control of C. lameensis with oil palm clone material. Indeed, more than 300 oil palm clones have already been established in Côte d'Ivoire. The screening of this material can help selecting performing material to control the pest due to the homogeneity of this type of plant material. Key words: clone, oil palm, genetic control, Coelænomenodera lameensi

Variations altitudinale et saisonnière de l’abondance de deux crevettes Atyidae dans les cours d’eau du mont Simandou (Guinée)

Les crevettes Caridinopsis chevalieri Bouvier, 1912 et Caridina africana Kingsley, 1883 sont les plus rencontrées dans les cours d’eau du mont Simandou (Guinée). Les variations altitudinale et saisonnière de leur abondance sont discutées dans la présente étude. Deux campagnes d’échantillonnage (saisons sèche et pluvieuse) ont été effectuées sur 27 sites en 2011. Des paramètres physico-chimiques ont été mesurés avant l’échantillonnage des crevettes en vue de la caractérisation du milieu. Au total, 323 individus de crevettes dont 57% de C. chevalieri et 43% de C. africana ont été collectés. En basse altitude (< 650m), la population est dominée par C. africana (79%). Par contre, en haute altitude (> 650m), C. chevalieri est le plus abondant (71%). C. chevalieri est plus rencontré en saison sèche alors que C. africana prédomine la population en saison des pluies. La conductivité, la température, le pH, la vitesse du courant et le type d’habitat sont les principaux paramètres du milieu qui influencent la distribution spatio-temporelle de l’abondance des deux espèces étudiées. Cette étude présente les données préliminaires sur les crevettes du mont Simandou et constitue une base importante pour des études futures sur la diversité et l’écologie de faune de crustacés de cette zone.Mots clés: Crevette, Caridina africana, Caridinopsis chevalieri, abondance, Mont SimandouEnglish Title: Altitudinal and seasonal variations in the abundance of two Atyidae shrimps in the streams of Mount Simandou (Guinea)English AbstractThe shrimp Caridinopsis chevalieri Bouvier, 1912 and Caridina africana Kingsley, 1883 are the most encountered in the rivers of the Simandou Mountain (Guinea). The altitudinal and seasonal variations in abundance of both species are discussed in this study. Two sampling campaigns (dry and rainy season) were conducted at 27 sites during year 2011. Some physical and chemical parameters were measured before sampling shrimp in order to the characterization of the environment. A total of 323 individuals of shrimp comprising 57% of C. chevalieri and 43% C. africana were collected. In low altitude (<650m), the population is dominated by C. africana. (79%). On the other hand, at high altitude (> 650m), C. chevalieri is the most abundant (71%). C. chevalieri is most sampled during the dry season while C. africana dominates shrimp population in the rainy season. The conductivity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and the type of habitat are the main environmental parameters that influence the spatial and temporal distribution of the abundance of the two studied species. This research presents preliminary data on shrimp from Simandou Mountain and is an important basis for future studies on diversity and ecology of crustacean from this area.Keywords: Shrimp, Caridina africana, Caridinopsis chevalieri, abundance, Simandou Mountai