Phylogeny of the Madagascar-centred tribe Danaideae (Rubiaceae) as a precursor to taxonomic revision: insights into its generic and species limits, affinities and distribution.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The tribe Danaideae (Rubiaceae) is almost exclusively endemic to the Western Indian Ocean Region (WIOR), and encompasses the genera Danais, Payera and Schismatoclada that occur in humid, sub-humid and mountain and mountain bio climate zones. Much of the species diversity is endemic to restricted, remote and/or mountainous areas of Madagascar and recent field work on the island indicates substantial unknown diversity of the Danaideae. Furthermore, the monophyly of the Malagasy genera Payera and Schismatoclada has been questioned in previous work, species delimitations and phylogenetic relationships within the genera are poorly understood, and the distribution and evolution of gross morphological features have not been assessed. METHODS: We conducted morphological investigations, and produced robust phylogenies of Danaideae based on nuclear and plastid sequence data from 193 terminals. Ample plant material has been newly collected in the WIOR for the purpose of the present study, including potentially new species unknown to science. We performed Bayesian non-clock and relaxed-clock analyses employing three alternative clock models of a dataset with a dense sample of taxa from the entire geographical ranges of Danaideae. Based on the results, we discuss species diversity and distribution, relationships, and morphology in Danaideae. KEY RESULTS: Our results demonstrate the monophyly of Danaideae, its three genera and 42 species. Nine species are resolved as non-monophyletic. Many geographically distinct but morphologically heterogeneous lineages were identified, and morphological features traditionally considered diagnostic of subgroups of the genera, used for example in species identification keys, are not clade-specific. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that Madagascar contains ample previously undocumented morphological and species diversity of Danaideae. Our novel approach to molecular phylogenetic analyses as a precursor to taxonomic revisions provides numerous benefits for the latter. There are tentative indications of parallel northward diversification in Payera and Schismatoclada on Madagascar, and of geographical phylogenetic clustering despite the anemochorous condition of Danaideae.

Is geopolitics a threat for offshore wind energy? A case of Indian Ocean Region.

The aim of this paper is to drive the discourse towards the increasing shift to renewables, especially offshore wind energy generation, in the emerging international energy order. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR), despite its increasing contribution to onshore wind energy generation and impending policies on offshore wind energy, is reluctant to invest in the latter. Hence, this paper highlights four important aspects that challenge IOR's offshore wind energy development: Indian Ocean's strategic location, environment impacts, blue economy and maritime terrorism. In the background of the geopolitical rivalry existing in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), with the increasing presence of China and the USA in the Indian Ocean, this paper aims to study if these geopolitical challenges are hindering offshore wind energy generation in IOR. The key findings of the paper include the necessity of addressing the geopolitical rivalry in IOR as an important hindrance in huge investments needed in OWE farms, so that a regional cooperative mechanism is arrived at especially from the point of view of policies towards OWE generation.

Diphtheria in Mayotte, 2007-2015.

Epidemiology of diphtheria in the southwestern Indian Ocean is poorly documented. We analyzed 14 cases of infection with toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae reported during 2007-2015 in Mayotte, a French department located in this region. Local control of diphtheria is needed to minimize the risk for importation of the bacterium into disease-free areas.

Surveillance of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the Indian Ocean Region between January 2010 and December 2015.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to trace the emergence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) on Reunion Island, a French overseas territory well suited for the surveillance of CPE emergence in patients from the entire Indian Ocean Region. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study was conducted on Reunion Island between 2010 and 2015. RESULTS: A total of 43 CPEs were isolated during the course of the study, in 36 patients (50% in the last year alone). Among these patients, 21 had a link with a foreign country (58%), mainly Mauritius (47.6%). Over the same period, CPEs were isolated from 13 of 1735 (0.7%) repatriated patients to Reunion Island from another country of the Indian Ocean Region. The incidence of isolation of CPEs in the repatriated patients treated in Mauritius was higher (9.2%) than in patients treated in Madagascar or the Comoros Islands (<1%, P<0.001). The most commonly isolated microorganism was Klebsiella pneumoniae (39.5%). The most frequently identified carbapenemase was NDM-1 (81.4%); 100% and 56% of the NDM-1 strains were susceptible to tigecycline and colistin, respectively. In-hospital mortality rate was higher in patients presenting with CPE infection than in patients without CPE infection (75% vs. 25%, P=0.04). CONCLUSION: As elsewhere in the world, the number of CPE cases on Reunion Island is on the rise. Most cases involve patients from Mauritius, which justifies screening and isolating CPE in patients from that country.

Phylogeny and generic limits in the sister tribes Psychotrieae and Palicoureeae (Rubiaceae): Evolution of schizocarps in Psychotria and origins of bacterial leaf nodules of the Malagasy species.

• Premise of the study: The pantropical, species-rich Psychotrieae and Palicoureeae are sister tribes of mostly drupe-bearing and nonbacterial leaf-nodulating species with problematic generic limits. This problem is more complicated in Psychotrieae due to the paraphyly of the genus Psychotria, the lack of diagnostic characters for some major lineages, and the poor sampling from some biodiversity hotspots. Schizocarps and bacterial leaf nodules have been used for recognizing formal groups in Psychotrieae, but their evolution and taxonomic value have not been studied using a robust phylogeny of the tribe.• Methods: We analyzed 287 samples from the entire ranges of the tribes, with particular emphasis on the Western Indian Ocean region, with the Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo method.• Key results: All allied Psychotria genera investigated are nested within a paraphyletic Psychotria. Schizocarps evolved independently two times within Psychotria, and one reversal back to the drupaceous condition is inferred. The Malagasy leaf-nodulated Psychotrieae (except Apomuria bullata) and the Comorian non-leaf-nodulated Psychotria conocarpa are nested within the (African) leaf-nodulated clade. Within Palicoureeae, Chassalia is paraphyletic with respect to Geophila sensu stricto, and the Malagasy Geophila gerrardii and the African Hymenocoleus are closely related.• Conclusions: A widely circumscribed Psychotria encompassing the entire Psychotrieae is supported. Within Psychotria, two separate origins of schizocarps from drupes, one reversal back to the drupaceous condition, and two independent origins of the Malagasy leaf-nodulated species are inferred. A new genus Puffia is described to accommodate Geophila gerrardii, and a narrow circumscription of Chassalia is adopted. Thirty-two new combinations, two lectotypifications, and 25 new names are presented.

RFLP clusters of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from the Indian Ocean Region: local and South Asian characteristics

This is the first study describing the genetic polymorphism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in the Indian Ocean Region. Using IS6110 RFLP analysis, 475 M. tuberculosis isolates from Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Mozambique and La Reunion were compared. Of the 332 IS6110 profiles found, 43 were shared by clusters containing 2-65 strains. Six clusters were common to at least two countries. Of 52 families of strains with similar IS6110 profiles, 10 were common to at least two countries. Interestingly, another characteristic was the frequency (16.8 percent) of IS6110 single-copy strains. These strains could be distinguished using the DR marker. This preliminary evaluation suggests genetic similarity between the strains of the Indian Ocean Region. However, additional markers would be useful for epidemiological studies and to assess the ancient transmission of strains between countries of this region.