Vector competence of Aedes albopictus field populations from Reunion Island exposed to local epidemic dengue viruses.

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most prevalent mosquito-borne Flavivirus that affects humans worldwide. Aedes albopictus, which is naturally infected with the bacteria Wolbachia, is considered to be a secondary vector of DENV. However, it was responsible for a recent DENV outbreak of unprecedented magnitude in Reunion Island, a French island in the South West Indian Ocean.

Genetic diversity of endosymbiotic bacteria infecting two mosquito species of the genus occurring in sympatry in the Comoros archipelago.

Introduction: The influence of on mosquito reproduction and vector competence has led to renewed interest in studying the genetic diversity of these bacteria and the phenotypes they induced in mosquito vectors. In this study, we focused on two species of , namely and , from three islands in the Comoros archipelago (in the Southwestern Indian Ocean).

Methods: Using the gene, we examined the mitochondrial genetic diversity of 879 individuals from 54 sites.

Ancestral African Bats Brought Their Cargo of Pathogenic to Madagascar under Cover of Colonization Events.

Madagascar is home to an extraordinary diversity of endemic mammals hosting several zoonotic pathogens. Although the African origin of Malagasy mammals has been addressed for a number of volant and terrestrial taxa, the origin of their hosted zoonotic pathogens is currently unknown. Using bats and infections as a model system, we tested whether Malagasy mammal hosts acquired these infections on the island following colonization events, or alternatively brought these bacteria from continental Africa.

Development and characterization of twenty microsatellite markers for Phelsuma inexpectata (Squamata: Gekkonidae), a critically endangered gecko endemic to Reunion Island.

Background: The Manapany day gecko (Phelsuma inexpectata) is endemic to the south of Reunion Island. Threatened by habitat fragmentation and loss, human activities and invasive species, P. inexpectata is considered as critically endangered.

Identification of the onchocerciasis vector in the Kakoi-Koda focus of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: The objective of this study was to characterise the vector in a small hyper-endemic focus of onchocerciasis (the Kakoi-Koda focus) which has recently been discovered on the western slopes of the rift valley above Lake Albert.

Methodology/principal Findings: Aquatic stages of blackflies were collected by hand from streams and rivers, and anthropophilic adult females were collected by human landing catches. Using a combination of morphotaxonomy and DNA barcoding, the blackflies collected biting humans within the focus were identified as Simulium dentulosum and Simulium vorax, which were also found breeding in local streams and rivers.