Two recent cases of human infection with Tonate virus, one of which was a fatal case of encephalitis, have renewed interest in these viruses in French Guiana.

The clinical aspects of confirmed and probable cases of infection with this virus indicate that it has pathogenic properties in humans similar to those of other viruses of the Venezuelan equine encephalitis complex.
To determine the prevalence of antibodies to Tonate virus in the various ethnic groups and areas of French Guiana, 3,516 human sera were tested with a hemagglutination inhibition test.

Of these, 11.9% were positive for the virus, but significant differences in seroprevalence were found by age, with an increase with age. (lire la suite…)

A method using remotely sensed data was developed to map the incidence of Q fever in the vicinity of Cayenne, French Guiana.

A satellite image was processed to map land cover and generate a population density index, which was used to determine areas of high disease incidence during the 1996–2000 period.

A comparison with results obtained using population census data showed strong concordance between the two incidence maps. All high-incidence areas identified using population census data were also detected using remotely sensed data. (lire la suite…)

Pendant longtemps, le paludisme a posé un problème majeur de santé publique et a entravé le développement démographique et économique de la Guyane Française.

La chimioprophylaxie et les pulvérisations intradomiciliaires de DDT instaurées en 1949 aboutirent à une réduction spectaculaire du nombre des cas. À partir de 1976, à la suite d’importants flux migratoires, le paludisme reprit de plus en plus d’importance. En 1989, de nombreux cas furent observés après l’arrivée d’environ 500 immigrants dans un lieu inhabité, situé à 7 km au S-E du chef lieu Cayenne.

L’étude entomologique débuta en 1950 par des séances hebdomadaires de captures vespérales sur appât humain dans les maisons et par la recherche des gîtes larvaires autour des habitations. (lire la suite…)

A survey was carried out on 1487 individuals to assess the seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in French Guiana. The overall prevalence of T. cruzi specific IgG was 0.5%. In multivariate analysis, residence in areas where housing is favorable for the presence of triatomine bugs was the only factor associated with the presence of T. cruzi antibodies.
These results have implications for public health since blood donors are not routinely screened for T. cruzi infection in French Guiana.

Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, mainly transmitted to humans by blood-sucking triatomine bugs (Hemiptera, Triatominae) but also transmitted by blood transfusion from infected donors, and occasionally by transplacental mother-to-child transmission. (lire la suite…)

This study includes malaria cases diagnosed by the Parasitology Unit of the Cayenne Hospital (French Guiana) using the same procedure from 1996 to 2003.

We provide data for two main rural communities in slightly inland areas of eastern French Guiana (Cacao, Régina) and for Cayenne, the capital of this French department. (lire la suite…)