[In the wake of Alphonse Laveran].

Alphonse Laveran (Nobel Prize 1907) played a pioneering role in discovering the causative agent of malaria, a disease that has existed since time immemorial, and long emblematic of the miasma theory until the end of the 19 century. In 1880, this unknown military doctor discovered the role of a hematazoan in malaria, designated This was the first protozoan to be discovered in an infectious disease, at a time when bacteria were mainly suspected. This major discovery led to the identification of the role of mosquitoes in the spread of malaria by Ronald Ross (Nobel Prize 1902) and Battista Grassi.

Gain-of-function and origin of Covid19.

In nature, wild viruses adapted for transmission circulate in many animal species (bats, birds, primates…). Contamination of other animals, including humans, may occur by crossing of the species barrier. Genetic manipulations have been carried out on wild viruses to favor the species jumping and to increase of viral virulence.