Zika virus in Gabon (Central Africa) - 2007 : a new threat from Aedes albopictus ?

Background Chikungunya and dengue viruses emerged in Gabon in 2007, with large outbreaks primarily affecting the capital Libreville and several northern towns. Both viruses subsequently spread to the south-east of the country, with new outbreaks occurring in 2010. The mosquito species Aedes albopictus, that was known as a secondary vector for both viruses, recently invaded the country and was the primary vector involved in the Gabonese outbreaks. We conducted a retrospective study of human sera and mosquitoes collected in Gabon from 2007 to 2010, in order to identify other circulating arboviruses. Methodology/Principal Findings Sample collections, including 4312 sera from patients presenting with painful febrile disease, and 4665 mosquitoes belonging to 9 species, split into 247 pools (including 137 pools of Aedes albopictus), were screened with molecular biology methods. Five human sera and two Aedes albopictus pools, all sampled in an urban setting during the 2007 outbreak, were positive for the flavivirus Zika (ZIKV). The ratio of Aedes albopictus pools positive for ZIKV was similar to that positive for dengue virus during the concomitant dengue outbreak suggesting similar mosquito infection rates and, presumably, underlying a human ZIKV outbreak. ZIKV sequences from the envelope and NS3 genes were amplified from a human serum sample. Phylogenetic analysis placed the Gabonese ZIKV at a basal position in the African lineage, pointing to ancestral genetic diversification and spread. Conclusions/Significance We provide the first direct evidence of human ZIKV infections in Gabon, and its first occurrence in the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. These data reveal an unusual natural life cycle for this virus, occurring in an urban environment, and potentially representing a new emerging threat due to this novel association with a highly invasive vector whose geographic range is still expanding across the globe. Author Summary Not previously considered an important human arboviral pathogen, the epidemic capacity of Zika virus (ZIKV, a dengue-related flavivirus) was revealed by the Micronesia outbreak in 2007, which affected about 5000 persons. Widely distributed throughout tropical areas of Asia and Africa, ZIKV is transmitted by a broad range of mosquito species, most of which are sylvatic or rural, Aedes aegypti, an anthropophilic and urban species, being considered the main ZIKV epidemic vector. In a context of emerging arbovirus infections (chikungunya (CHIKV) and dengue (DENV)) in Gabon since 2007, we conducted a retrospective study to detect other, related viruses. In samples collected during the concurrent CHIKV/DENV outbreaks that occurred in the capital city in 2007, we detected ZIKV in both humans and mosquitoes, and notably the Asian mosquito Aedes albopictus that recently invaded the country and was the main vector responsible for these outbreaks. We found that the Gabonese ZIKV strain belonged to the African lineage, and phylogenetic analysis suggested ancestral diversification and spread rather than recent introduction. These findings, showing for the first time epidemic ZIKV activity in an urban environment in Central Africa and the presence of ZIKV in the invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus, raise the possibility of a new emerging threat to human health

Haemosporidian parasites of Antelopes and other vertebrates from Gabon, Central Africa

Re-examination, using molecular tools, of the diversity of haemosporidian parasites (among which the agents of human malaria are the best known) has generally led to rearrangements of traditional classifications. In this study, we explored the diversity of haemosporidian parasites infecting vertebrate species (particularly mammals, birds and reptiles) living in the forests of Gabon (Central Africa), by analyzing a collection of 492 bushmeat samples. We found that samples from five mammalian species (four duiker and one pangolin species), one bird and one turtle species were infected by haemosporidian parasites. In duikers (from which most of the infected specimens were obtained), we demonstrated the existence of at least two distinct parasite lineages related to Polychromophilus species (i. e., bat haemosporidian parasites) and to sauropsid Plasmodium (from birds and lizards). Molecular screening of sylvatic mosquitoes captured during a longitudinal survey revealed the presence of these haemosporidian parasite lineages also in several Anopheles species, suggesting a potential role in their transmission. Our results show that, differently from what was previously thought, several independent clades of haemosporidian parasites (family Plasmodiidae) infect mammals and are transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes

Elimination of Cu (II) and Zn (II) ions in mono-element and the bi-element aqueous solutions by adsorption on natural clay of Bikougou (Gabon)

This work was undertaken to evaluate the potential of the clay of Bikougou to remove copper (II) and zinc (II) ions (Cu2+ and Zn2+) in  mono-element and binary aqueous solutions. The experiments werecarried out by employing the batch technique through the variations of pH, clay mass, ionic strength, concentration in metal, temperature and contact time. The quantity of ions coppers (II) or zinc (II) adsorbed increases when the pH increases up to pH=5 and beyond, there is precipitation of the metal hydroxides; the quantity of metal ions adsorbed decreases when the clay mass or the ionic force increases. The average adsorption energies of copper (II) and zinc (II) ions are indicative of endothermic reactions. The modeling of the experimental results is better achieved by application ofFreundlich adsorption isotherm and Langmuir adsorption isotherm  concerning the adsorption of Cu (II) ions with correlation coefficients of 0.98 and 0.93, respectively. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm and Freundlich adsorption isotherm are all applicable for describing the experimental result of isotherm adsorption of Zn (II) ions with correlation coefficient respectively, 0.99 and 0.96. The kinetic which shows more clearly the observed phenomenon is that of the pseudo-second order with the coefficients of correlation close to 0.99. In the binary system copper (II) - zinc (II) the adsorption of copper (II) is favoured compared to that of zinc (II). All these results have shown efficiency as adsorbent of theclay from Bikougou to eliminate Cu2+and zinc (II) ions in mono-element or bi-element aqueous solutions. In the mono-element solution, the adsorption rate varied from 98.59 to 94.41% for the Cu(II) ions and from 86.76 to 53.80% for Zn (II) ions.Key words: System of bi-element, copper and zinc, adsorption, technique in batch, natural clay mixture

IPTEKS BAGI MASYARAKAT USAHA PENANGKARAN RUSA TIMOR DESA MARGOREJO, KECAMATAN DAWE, KABUPATEN KUDUS

ABSTRAK  Tujuan dari program ini adalah perbaikan administrasi penangkaran untuk mempermudah proses administrasi berikutnya, penerapan manajemen pemeliharaan, kesehatan, pakan dan perkawinan Rusa Timor, pengeluaran sertifikat rusa Timor dan pengeluaran ijin pengedar rusa Timor. Metode yang diterapkan dalam kegiatan ini adalah pendampingan administrasi penangkaran, manajemen pemeliharaan, pakan, kesehatan hewan dan perkawinan, penandaan rusa Timor, pengurusan berkas administrasi Rusa Timor, pemrosesan sertifikat dan ijin pengedar dan pemasaran rusa Timor. Mitra IbM 1 dan 2 dalam motivasi kepada petugas penangkar dalam program pelatihan manajemen pemeliharaan, pakan, kesehatan dan perkawinan. Sebanyak 30 sertifikat rusa Timor juga telah terbit. Ijin pengedar rusa Timor telah terbit sehingga Mitra IbM telah dapat mengkomersialkan rusa Timor. Penjualan rusa Timor telah dilakukan dengan harga Rp. 9.000.000,- / ekor. Mahasiswa dilibatkan dalam program pemberian pelatihan kepada petugas penangkaran dan juga praktek lapangan. Tiga orang mahasiswa juga terlibat dalam Praktek Kerja Lapangan (PKL) dalam upaya memberikan pengalaman dan pengetahuan tentang penangkaran rusa Timor kepada mahasiswa

Essai d’optimisation de la production du palmier à huile (Elaeis guineensis J.) sur la base des données climatiques dans la région du sud-ouest Cameroun

L’étude vise à contribuer à l’estimation des productions du palmier à huile sur la base des données climatiques au Sud-Ouest du Cameroun.  L’hypothèse de départ est que les fluctuations interannuelles des rendements sont dues aux variations climatiques. Les paramètres climatiques avec leurs modalités et la production des régimes de palme ont été collectés dans la localité de Limbé, sur 5 ans. La mise en évidencedes fluctuations interannuelles des rendements du palmier à huile et des composantes climatiques a été établie grâce à une analyse de variance. Par contre, pour les composantes climatiques prises sur la même année, il n’existe pas de coefficients de corrélation significatifs entre le rendement moyen et les variables étudiées. De ce fait, aucune régression linéaire simple n’a pu être dégagée entre ces variables et le rendement annuel du palmier à huile. L’absence de données continues sur une longue période explique cette limite. Les modèles de prédiction des rendements théoriques du palmier à huile n’ont donc pas été générés. Il serait judicieux de mener davantage de prospections sur d’autres sites de palmier à huile. En outre, l’élaboration de modèles multivariés traduisant les effets des paramètres climatiques sur les rendements du palmier à huile peut être envisagée.Mots-clés : Elaeais guineensis, modélisation, climat, Cameroun

Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Their Impacts on Bees: A Systematic Review of Research Approaches and Identification of Knowledge Gaps

It has been suggested that the widespread use of neonicotinoid insecticides threatens bees, but research on this topic has been surrounded by controversy. In order to synthesize which research approaches have been used to examine the effect of neonicotinoids on bees and to identify knowledge gaps, we systematically reviewed research on this subject that was available on the Web of Science and PubMed in June 2015. Most of the 216 primary research studies were conducted in Europe or North America (82%), involved the neonicotinoid imidacloprid (78%), and concerned the western honey bee Apis mellifera (75%). Thus, little seems to be known about neonicotinoids and bees in areas outside Europe and North America. Furthermore, because there is considerable variation in ecological traits among bee taxa, studies on honey bees are not likely to fully predict impacts of neonicotinoids on other species. Studies on crops were dominated by seed-treated maize, oilseed rape (canola) and sunflower, whereas less is known about potential side effects on bees from the use of other application methods on insect pollinated fruit and vegetable crops, or on lawns and ornamental plants. Laboratory approaches were most common, and we suggest that their capability to infer real-world consequences are improved when combined with information from field studies about realistic exposures to neonicotinoids. Studies using field approaches often examined only bee exposure to neonicotinoids and more field studies are needed that measure impacts of exposure. Most studies measured effects on individual bees. We suggest that effects on the individual bee should be linked to both mechanisms at the sub-individual level and also to the consequences for the colony and wider bee populations. As bees are increasingly facing multiple interacting pressures future research needs to clarify the role of neonicotinoids in relative to other drivers of bee declines

Machine learning enhances prediction of plants as potential sources of antimalarials.

Plants are a rich source of bioactive compounds and a number of plant-derived antiplasmodial compounds have been developed into pharmaceutical drugs for the prevention and treatment of malaria, a major public health challenge. However, identifying plants with antiplasmodial potential can be time-consuming and costly. One approach for selecting plants to investigate is based on ethnobotanical knowledge which, though having provided some major successes, is restricted to a relatively small group of plant species. Machine learning, incorporating ethnobotanical and plant trait data, provides a promising approach to improve the identification of antiplasmodial plants and accelerate the search for new plant-derived antiplasmodial compounds. In this paper we present a novel dataset on antiplasmodial activity for three flowering plant families - Apocynaceae, Loganiaceae and Rubiaceae (together comprising c. 21,100 species) - and demonstrate the ability of machine learning algorithms to predict the antiplasmodial potential of plant species. We evaluate the predictive capability of a variety of algorithms - Support Vector Machines, Logistic Regression, Gradient Boosted Trees and Bayesian Neural Networks - and compare these to two ethnobotanical selection approaches - based on usage as an antimalarial and general usage as a medicine. We evaluate the approaches using the given data and when the given samples are reweighted to correct for sampling biases. In both evaluation settings each of the machine learning models have a higher precision than the ethnobotanical approaches. In the bias-corrected scenario, the Support Vector classifier performs best - attaining a mean precision of 0.67 compared to the best performing ethnobotanical approach with a mean precision of 0.46. We also use the bias correction method and the Support Vector classifier to estimate the potential of plants to provide novel antiplasmodial compounds. We estimate that 7677 species in Apocynaceae, Loganiaceae and Rubiaceae warrant further investigation and that at least 1300 active antiplasmodial species are highly unlikely to be investigated by conventional approaches. While traditional and Indigenous knowledge remains vital to our understanding of people-plant relationships and an invaluable source of information, these results indicate a vast and relatively untapped source in the search for new plant-derived antiplasmodial compounds

Room-Temperature Plasma-Assisted Inkjet Printing of Highly Conductive Silver on Paper

For the first time, the plasma-assisted inkjet printing of metal-organic decomposition (MOD) inks is demonstrated to provide an easily up-scalable method toward the deposition of highly conductive silver features on paper. Atmospheric plasma sintering methods provide a fast and effective alternative to thermal treatment. This high-speed, room-temperature approach ensures the immediate conversion of the MOD inks after printing and thus overcomes wetting issues typically encountered in porous substrates—a mechanical solution to a chemical problem

The climatic challenge: which plants will people use in the next century?

More than 31,000 useful plant species have been documented to fulfil needs and services for humans or the animals and environment we depend on. Despite this diversity, humans currently satisfy most requirements with surprisingly few plant species; for example, just three crops – rice, wheat and maize – comprise more than 50% of plant derived calories. Here, we synthesize the projected impact of global climatic change on useful plants across the spectrum of plant domestication. We illustrate the demographic, spatial, ecophysiological, chemical, functional, evolutionary and cultural traits that are likely to characterise useful plants and their resilience in the next century. Using this framework, we consider a range of possible pathways for future human use of plants. These are centred on two trade-offs: i) diversification versus specialization in the range of species we utilize, and ii) substitutionof the species towards those better suited to future climate versus facilitating adaptation in our existing suite of dominant useful plants. In the coming century, major challenges to agriculture and biodiversity will be dominated by increased climatic variation, shifting species ranges, disruption to biotic interactions, nutrient limitation and emerging pests and pathogens. These challenges must be mitigated, whilst enhancing sustainable production to meet the needs of a growing population and a more resource intensive standard of living. With the continued erosion of biodiversity, our future ability to choose among these pathways and trade-offs is likely to be diminished

Replication, safety and immunogenicity of the vectored Ebola vaccine rVSV-ΔG-ZEBOV-GP in a sub-Saharan African paediatric population: A randomised controlled, open-label trial in children aged 1-12 years living in Lambaréné, Gabon.

Unlike adults, children experienced stronger and longer vector replication in plasma and shedding in saliva following rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP vaccination. The resulting risks of immunosuppression or immune hyperactivation leading to increased Adverse Events (AEs) and altered antibody responses are concerns that have been addressed in the present manuscript. Children aged 1-12 years living in Gabon received either rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP (ERVEBO®) vaccine or the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccine (VZV). The concentration of rVSVΔG vector in blood and saliva, the occurrence of AEs up to day 28; the anti-rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP and anti-VZV IgG antibody titres, neutralising and avidity functions of anti-rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP by day 365; were assessed in serum. (PACTR202005733552021) FINDINGS: In the rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP group, 70% and 7% of children had >0 copies/ml of rVSVΔG respectively in plasma by day 3 and in saliva by day 14 after vaccination, with no detection on day 28. Significantly higher but transient AEs occurred in the rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP group. Both vaccines induced seroconversion on day 28 and sustainable IgG antibody titres by day 365. Avidity and neutralisation functions of the anti-rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP antibodies peaked at day 28 and were maintained by day 365. The replication and shedding do not affect the favourable risk-benefit balance of the rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP in children