ABSTRACT
We investigated dengue and chikungunya virus antibody seroprevalence in French Polynesia during 2014-2015. Dengue virus seroprevalence was ≈60% among schoolchildren and >83% among the general population; chikungunya virus seroprevalence was <3% before and 76% after Zika virus emergence (2013). Dengue virus herd immunity may affect Zika virus infection and pathogenesis.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/immunology , Chikungunya Fever/epidemiology , Chikungunya Fever/immunology , Chikungunya virus/immunology , Dengue Virus/immunology , Dengue/epidemiology , Dengue/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology , Chikungunya Fever/history , Child , Child, Preschool , Dengue/history , History, 21st Century , Humans , Middle Aged , Neutralization Tests , Polynesia/epidemiology , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Young AdultABSTRACT
We describe the implementation of an automated infectious disease surveillance system that uses data collected from 210 microbiologic laboratories throughout the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in France. Each week, these facilities report bacterial species that have been isolated from patients in their area. An alarm is triggered whenever the case count for a bacterial species infection exceeds 2 SDs of the historical mean for that species at the participating laboratory. At its inception in July 2013, the system monitored 611 bacterial species. During July 1, 2013-March 20, 2016, weekly analyses of incoming surveillance data generated 34 alarms signaling possible infectious disease outbreaks; after investigation, 14 (41%) of these alarms resulted in health alerts declared by the regional health authority. We are currently improving the system by developing an Internet-based surveillance platform and extending our surveillance to include more laboratories in the region.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Infections/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks/statistics & numerical data , Laboratories , Population Surveillance/methods , France/epidemiology , HumansABSTRACT
During 2013-2014, French Polynesia experienced an outbreak of Zika virus infection. Serosurveys conducted at the end of the outbreak and 18 months later showed lower than expected disease prevalence rates (49%) and asymptomatic:symptomatic case ratios (1:1) in the general population but significantly different prevalence rates (66%) and asymptomatic:symptomatic ratios (1:2) in schoolchildren.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Zika Virus Infection/epidemiology , Zika Virus Infection/virology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Polynesia/epidemiology , Young Adult , Zika Virus Infection/bloodABSTRACT
Ross River virus (RRV), spread by Aedes and Culex mosquitoes, is the most commonly transmitted arbovirus in Australia. A serosurvey of blood donors in French Polynesia during 2011-2013 suggested that RRV circulated without being detected. We report RRV circulation in French Polynesia based on further screening of blood samples collected during 2014-2015.
Subject(s)
Aedes/virology , Alphavirus Infections/epidemiology , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Culex/virology , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Insect Vectors/virology , Ross River virus/isolation & purification , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alphavirus Infections/transmission , Alphavirus Infections/virology , Animals , Asymptomatic Diseases , Blood Donors , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Polynesia/epidemiology , Ross River virus/immunology , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
Major human pathogens are frequently isolated from meat-producing animals, particularly poultry. Among them is Enterococcus faecalis, which is known to be one of the main cause of human urinary-tract infections worldwide. Early in 2015, we detected several, consecutive abnormal increases in the weekly number of human E. faecalis infections in various medical settings in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, especially including community-acquired urinary-tract infections. Speculating that this region-wide epidemiological event may have originated from animal-based food, we initiated this work to provide an overview of the epidemiology of E. faecalis, with a particular focus on the possible link between E. faecalis clones isolated from food-producing animals and those responsible for human urinary-tract infections. At that time, only one study had clearly identified strong epidemiological links between E. faecalis clones isolated from food-producing animals and human E. faecalis urinary-tract infections. This observation, coupled with our region-wide epidemiological experience, leads us to strongly believe that E. faecalis is a real zoonotic pathogen with potentially highly significant impact on human health. This is of particular concern because of its ability to acquire antibiotic-resistance genes and to infect animals and humans. Various strategies must be urgently implemented to address this public health threat, in particular through the development and implementation of large integrated automated surveillance systems based on animal and human health data to enable us to detect E. faecalis epidemiological events.