Publications by authors named "Anna Bella Failloux"

Article Synopsis
  • Algeria is facing increased health risks from West Nile Virus (WNV) and the invasive Aedes albopictus mosquito, prompting a study to enhance mosquito-borne pathogen surveillance using advanced molecular techniques.
  • Researchers utilized a combination of high-throughput chip technology to identify arboviruses in mosquitoes and immunologic methods for serological analysis in local animal populations, conducting studies in both a coastal humid region and a Saharan desert area.
  • The study discovered five arboviruses in Algeria for the first time, with a significant presence of flavivirus antibodies in equids and poultry, highlighting the importance of improved surveillance to manage future outbreaks effectively.
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collected in 2023 in the greater Paris area (Île-de-France) were experimentally able to transmit five arboviruses: West Nile virus from 3 days post-infection (dpi), chikungunya virus and Usutu virus from 7 dpi, dengue virus and Zika virus from 21 dpi. Given the growing number of imported dengue cases reported in early 2024 in France, surveillance of should be reinforced during the Paris Olympic Games in July, when many international visitors including from endemic countries are expected.

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Objectives: Our study targets the potential of the local urban mosquito to experimentally transmit chikungunya virus (CHIKV), dengue virus (DENV), yellow fever virus (YFV), and Zika virus (ZIKV).

Methods: We collected eggs and adults of in Medellín, Colombia (from February to March 2020) for mosquito experimental infections with DENV, CHIKV, YFV and ZIKV and viral detection using the BioMark Dynamic arrays system.

Results: We show that from Medellín was more prone to become infected, to disseminate and transmit CHIKV and ZIKV than DENV and YFV.

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Article Synopsis
  • - In 2023, dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV2) spread widely across French overseas territories, with over 30,000 suspected cases in the French Caribbean by March 2024.
  • - Genome analysis shows that the DENV2 lineage in the Caribbean is now also found in French Guiana and has led to local cases in mainland France, but not in Réunion.
  • - To prevent the further spread of the virus and its introduction in new areas, ongoing molecular monitoring and mosquito control efforts are crucial.
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Article Synopsis
  • Dengue is becoming a bigger health problem around the world, especially in Africa, where it's often not diagnosed correctly.
  • A special method using Wolbachia bacteria to control dengue is being tried in Asia and the Americas but hasn't been used in Africa yet.
  • Research shows that a specific Wolbachia strain can help stop dengue from spreading in African mosquitoes, making it a promising option for controlling the disease on the continent.
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The mosquito-borne disease, Yellow fever (YF), has been largely controlled via mass delivery of an effective vaccine and mosquito control interventions. However, there are warning signs that YF is re-emerging in both Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Imported from Africa in slave ships, YF was responsible for devastating outbreaks in the Caribbean.

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West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus (+ssRNA) belonging to the genus . Its enzootic cycle involves mosquito vectors, mainly , and wild birds as reservoir hosts, while mammals, such as humans and equids, are incidental dead-end hosts. It was first discovered in 1934 in Uganda, and since 1999 has been responsible for frequent outbreaks in humans, horses and wild birds, mostly in America and in Europe.

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Since its detection in 2015 in Brazil, Zika virus (ZIKV) has remained in the spotlight of international public health and research as an emerging arboviral pathogen. In addition to single infection, ZIKV may occur in co-infection with dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses, with whom ZIKV shares geographic distribution and the mosquito Aedes aegypti as a vector. The main mosquito immune response against arboviruses is RNA interference (RNAi).

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West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) are two arthropod-borne viruses that circulate in mainland France. Assessing vector competence has only been conducted so far with mosquitoes from southern France while an increasingly active circulation of WNV and USUV has been reported in the last years. The main vectors are mosquitoes of the Culex genus and the common mosquito Culex pipiens.

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Background: Climate change and globalization contribute to the expansion of mosquito vectors and their associated pathogens. Long spared, temperate regions have had to deal with the emergence of arboviruses traditionally confined to tropical regions. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was reported for the first time in Europe in 2007, causing a localized outbreak in Italy, which then recurred repeatedly over the years in other European localities.

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Mosquito-borne diseases caused by viruses and parasites are responsible for more than 700 million infections each year. and are the two major vectors for, respectively, malaria and arboviruses. mosquitoes are the primary vector of just one known arbovirus, the alphavirus o'nyong-nyong virus (ONNV), which is closely related to the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), vectored by mosquitoes.

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Mosquito-borne diseases have a significant impact on humans and animals and this impact is exacerbated by environmental changes. However, in Tunisia, surveillance of the West Nile virus (WNV) is based solely on the surveillance of human neuroinvasive infections and no study has reported mosquito-borne viruses (MBVs), nor has there been any thorough serological investigation of anti-MBV antibodies in horses. This study therefore sought to investigate the presence of MBVs in Tunisia.

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One of the most effective vaccines against an arbovirus is the YFV-17D live-attenuated vaccine developed in 1937 against Yellow Fever (YF). This vaccine replicates poorly in mosquitoes and consequently, is not transmitted by vectors. Vaccine shortages, mainly due to constrained productions based on pathogen-free embryonated eggs, led Sanofi to move towards alternative methods based on a state-of-the-art process using continuous cell line cultures in bioreactor.

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Mosquitoes are important vectors for many arboviruses. It is becoming increasingly clear that various symbiotic microorganisms (including bacteria and insect-specific viruses; ISVs) in mosquitoes have the potential to modulate the ability of mosquitoes to transmit arboviruses. In this study, we compared the bacteriome and virome (both eukaryotic viruses and bacteriophages) of female adult Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes fed with sucrose/water, blood, or blood spiked with Zika virus (ZIKV) or West Nile virus (WNV), respectively.

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With the current expansion of vector-based research and an increasing number of facilities rearing arthropod vectors and infecting them with pathogens, common measures for containment of arthropods as well as manipulation of pathogens are becoming essential for the design and running of such research facilities to ensure safe work and reproducibility, without compromising experimental feasibility. These guidelines and comments were written by experts of the Infravec2 consortium, a Horizon 2020-funded consortium integrating the most sophisticated European infrastructures for research on arthropod vectors of human and animal diseases. They reflect current good practice across European laboratories with experience of safely handling different mosquito species and the pathogens they transmit.

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First identified in 1947, Zika virus took roughly 70 years to cause a pandemic unusually associated with virus-induced brain damage in newborns. Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti, and secondarily, Aedes albopictus, both colonizing a large strip encompassing tropical and temperate regions. As part of the international project ZIKAlliance initiated in 2016, 50 mosquito populations from six species collected in 12 countries were experimentally infected with different Zika viruses.

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Mosquito saliva facilitates blood feeding through the anti-haemostatic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of its proteins. However, the potential contribution of non-coding RNAs to host manipulation is still poorly understood. We analysed small RNAs from Aedes aegypti saliva and salivary glands and show here that chikungunya virus-infection triggers both the siRNA and piRNA antiviral pathways with limited effects on miRNA expression profiles.

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The mosquito Aedes albopictus is an invasive species first detected in Europe in Albania in 1979, and now established in 28 European countries. Temperature is a limiting factor in mosquito activities and in the transmission of associated arboviruses namely chikungunya (CHIKV) and dengue (DENV). Since 2007, local transmissions of CHIKV and DENV have been reported in mainland Europe, mainly in South Europe.

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The tiger mosquito was introduced to the Eastern region of the Mediterranean basin more than twenty years ago. In Lebanon, it was first observed in 2002 in a limited number of locations mainly from the coastal area of the country. In the absence of national entomological control program, this invasive mosquito became an established species and is now considered in many localities, a source of nuisance because of its human biting behavior.

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This last decade has seen a resurgence of yellow fever (YF) in historical endemic regions and repeated attempts of YF introduction in YF-free countries such as the Asia-Pacific region and the Caribbean. Infected travellers are the main entry routes in these regions where competent mosquito vectors proliferate in appropriate environmental conditions. With the discovery of the 17D vaccine, it was thought that YF would be eradicated.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Not all mosquito and tick species can transmit every virus, indicating specific molecular mechanisms that govern how these vectors interact with pathogens.
  • * Various internal (like vector genetics and immune responses) and external factors (such as nutrition and environmental conditions) influence the transmission of viruses, highlighting the complexity of virus-vector interactions and the need for effective surveillance and prevention strategies.
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The areas where dengue virus (DENV) is endemic have expanded rapidly, driven in part by the global spread of Aedes species, which act as disease vectors. DENV replicates in the mosquito midgut and is disseminated to the mosquito's salivary glands for amplification. Thus, blocking virus infection or replication in the tissues of the mosquito may be a viable strategy for reducing the incidence of DENV transmission to humans.

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The two main Zika virus (ZIKV) vectors, and (invasive and native species, respectively), are present in Gabon (Central Africa). The aim of this study was to determine the entomological ZIKV risk associated with these mosquito species in Gabon by evaluating their vector competence for an African (i.e.

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