[ takes a stand against editorial predation].

Warnings against predatory journals get stronger. Designed to capture manuscripts with the promise of rapid publication, the main aim of these journals is to charge abusive publication fees. Sometimes boasting imaginary impact factors, they are not indexed and offer no guarantee of visibility, accessibility or durability of the published article.

[Laveran and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine].

This article recalls the conditions under which the first Nobel Prizes were awarded. The scientific personalities who nominated Alphonse Laveran for the prize from 1901 to 1907 are recalled, among them Ronald Ross, winner in 1902. In 1907, Karl Axel Hampus Mörner submitted Alphonse Laveran for the prize.

Environmental determinant of malaria cases among travellers.

Background: Approximately 125 million travellers visit malaria-endemic countries annually and about 10,000 cases of malaria are reported after returning home. Due to the fact that malaria is insect vector transmitted, the environment is a key determinant of the spread of infection. Geo-climatic factors (such as temperature, moisture, water quality) determine the presence of Anopheles breeding sites, vector densities, adult mosquito survival rate, longevity and vector capacity.

The accuracy of self-reported data concerning recent cannabis use in the French armed forces.

Background: The aims were to evaluate the accuracy of self-report of past-month cannabis use in a representative sample of French military staff members and to evaluate the scale of the prevarication bias.

Method: Data from three cross-sectional surveys conducted between 2005 and 2008 (n = 3493) were used. The characteristics of self-report (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value) were computed using tetrahydrocannabinol detection in urine as the reference.

Morbidity and impaired quality of life 30 months after chikungunya infection: comparative cohort of infected and uninfected French military policemen in Reunion Island.

We compared the morbidity and quality of life of military policemen ("gendarmes") infected with chikungunya virus (CHIKV+) 30 months after contamination. We categorized the subjects in 3 groups: healed patients (n = 48), non-healed patients (n = 37, 44% of CHIKV+), and uninfected subjects (CHIKV-, n = 297). Data were self-recorded in this retrospective cohort study; they included sociodemographic information, clinical symptoms, and the Medical Outcome Study 36-item short-form health survey (MOS-SF36) quality of life questionnaire.

Plasmodium vivax Malaria among military personnel, French Guiana, 1998-2008.

We obtained health surveillance epidemiologic data on malaria among French military personnel deployed to French Guiana during 1998-2008. Incidence of Plasmodium vivax malaria increased and that of P. falciparum remained stable.

Incidence, etiology, and determinants associated with acute diarrhea among French forces deployed to Chad.

Background: This study assesses, for the first time, the incidence, etiology, and determinants associated with traveler's diarrhea (TD) among French forces deployed to N'Djamena, Chad.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted based on physician consultation for diarrhea during a 5-month French forces mandate. Diarrhea was defined as ≥3 loose stools in a 24-hour period or ≥2 loose stools within the last 8 hours.

Gastrointestinal illnesses among French forces deployed to Djibouti: French military health surveillance, 2005-2009.

Despite an increase in foreign tourism and in the numbers of foreign military personnel deployed to Djibouti, little is known about the risk of gastrointestinal illness in this country in eastern Africa. To assess risk and to describe common features of gastrointestinal illnesses, reports of illness derived from military health surveillance data collected during 2005-2009 among French service members deployed to Djibouti were reviewed. Diarrhea was the most common problem; it had an annual incidence ranging from 260 to 349 cases per 1,000 person-years.

Survey of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use in the French army.

The aim of the current study is to describe the consumption rate of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis in the French Army. A cross-sectional two strata randomized survey was performed between October 2006 and March 2007 using self-report questionnaires (n = 990) to collect individual characteristics, consumption, and addictive behaviors with urinal tests for cannabis (n = 985). The surveyed sample comprised 59% privates, 26% non-commissioned officers, and 6% officers, was predominantly male (89%) and young (median age: 29 years), and had a low level of education (60% attended secondary school).

Doxycycline-chloroquine vs. doxycycline-placebo for malaria prophylaxis in nonimmune soldiers: a double-blind randomized field trial in sub-Saharan Africa.

Failures of malaria chemoprophylaxis have been related to a lack of compliance with doxycycline due to its short elimination half-life. Adding a molecule with a long half-life to doxycycline could be useful to take over from this drug in case of occasional missed doses. A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized field trial was designed to compare the tolerability of a doxycycline-chloroquine combination vs.

Advantages and limits of real-time epidemiological surveillance during military deployments: the experience of the French Armed Forces.

To perform epidemiological surveillance during deployments, the French military health service has developed a real-time surveillance approach. The objective was to identify the benefits and problems of this approach. A prototype of real-time surveillance has been set up in French Guiana since 2004.

Use of short message service (SMS) to improve malaria chemoprophylaxis compliance after returning from a malaria endemic area.

Background: Malaria chemoprophylaxis compliance is suboptimal among French soldiers despite the availability of free malaria chemoprophylaxis and repeated health education before, during and after deployment to malaria endemic areas.

Methods: In 2007, a randomized controlled study was performed among a cohort of French soldiers returning from Côte d'Ivoire to assess the feasibility and acceptability of sending a daily short message service (SMS) reminder message via mobile device to remind soldiers to take their malaria chemoprophylaxis, and to assess the impact of the daily reminder SMS on chemoprophylaxis compliance. Malaria chemoprophylaxis consisted of a daily dose of 100 mg doxycycline monohydrate, which began upon arrival in Côte d'Ivoire and was to be continued for 28 days following return to France.

Major variations in malaria exposure of travellers in rural areas: an entomological cohort study in western Côte d'Ivoire.

Background: Malaria remains a major threat, to both travellers and military personnel deployed to endemic areas. The recommendations for travellers given by the World Health Organization is based on the incidence of malaria in an area and do not take the degree of exposure into account. The aim of this article is to evaluate the exposure of travellers by entomologic methods, which are the commonly used measures of the intensity of malaria transmission.

Chemoprophylaxis compliance in a French battalion after returning from malaria-endemic area.

Incidence of malaria is increasing in travelers and soldiers. In 2006, a survey was performed in a French battalion returning from a malaria-endemic area. According to the chemoprophylaxis plasma concentration and the individuals' reports, the noncompliance rates were high, respectively, 63.

Remote sensing and malaria risk for military personnel in Africa.

Background: Nonimmune travelers in malaria-endemic areas are exposed to transmission and may experience clinical malaria attacks during or after their travel despite using antivectorial devices or chemoprophylaxis. Environment plays an essential role in the epidemiology of this disease. Remote-sensed environmental information had not yet been tested as an indicator of malaria risk among nonimmune travelers.

Value of syndromic surveillance within the Armed Forces for early warning during a dengue fever outbreak in French Guiana in 2006.

Background: A dengue fever outbreak occured in French Guiana in 2006. The objectives were to study the value of a syndromic surveillance system set up within the armed forces, compared to the traditional clinical surveillance system during this outbreak, to highlight issues involved in comparing military and civilian surveillance systems and to discuss the interest of syndromic surveillance for public health response.

Methods: Military syndromic surveillance allows the surveillance of suspected dengue fever cases among the 3,000 armed forces personnel.

Characteristics of human intestinal Escherichia coli with changing environments.

To investigate if the characteristics of human intestinal Escherichia coli are changing with the environment of the host, we studied intestinal E. coli from subjects having recently migrated from a temperate to a tropical area. We determined the phylogenetic group, the prevalence of the antibiotic resistance, the presence of integrons and the strain diversity in faecal isolates from 25 subjects originally from metropolitan France and expatriated to French Guyana.

Proposal of a framework for evaluating military surveillance systems for early detection of outbreaks on duty areas.

Background: In recent years a wide variety of epidemiological surveillance systems have been developed to provide early identification of outbreaks of infectious disease. Each system has had its own strengths and weaknesses. In 2002 a Working Group of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced a framework for evaluation, which proved suitable for many public health surveillance systems.

Evaluation of a syndromic surveillance for the early detection of outbreaks among military personnel in a tropical country.

Background: To evaluate a new military syndromic surveillance system (2SE FAG) set up in French Guiana.

Methods: The evaluation was made using the current framework published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA. Two groups of system stakeholders, for data input and data analysis, were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires to assess timeliness, data quality, acceptability, usefulness, stability, portability and flexibility of the system.

[Marseilles, the Indian Ocean and Chikungunya virus].

In recent decades Marseilles, through immigration, has become the largest Comorian city outside the archipelago. It is also home to a faculty of medicine that has made infectious diseases one of its fields of excellence. During the last two years, Marseilles has spearheaded the metropolitan French response to the Chikungunya crisis in the Indian Ocean region, and especially in the Reunion Island and Mayotte.