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PubMed1991

Dengue surveillance in French Polynesia: an attempt to use the excess number of laboratory requests for confirmation of dengue diagnosis as an indicator of dengue activity.

The excess number of weekly laboratory requests for confirmation of dengue diagnosis over the expected number of requests forecasted by the modified Serfling method is proposed for the surveillance of dengue in French Polynesia, in addition to conventional methods. Retrospective analysis of the seasonal curves of dengue activity related to the number of laboratory requests is described for the years 1982-1987 where dengue type 4 was the only active flavivirus at the time when the forecast was initiated. By using past epidemic data, the probability of failing to recognize an increase in excess of requests as possibly epidemic was of 13.2% and 5.8%, respectively, when the criterion for epidemic increase was set respectively at 2 and 3 successive weeks during which the epidemic threshold is exceeded. A weekly surveillance was set up prospectively for 1988 using these criteria.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗
PubMed1998

[The specific epidemiological surveillance of dengue: the method and its importance since the dengue-2 epidemic in French Polynesia in 1996].

Dengue fever is present in tropical and subtropical regions and its geographical extension and the simultaneous increase of its mortality are worrisome. In endemic or epidemic countries, the aim of dengue-specific epidemiological surveillance is to confirm as soon as possible the circulation of a new viral dengue serotype, i.e. the beginning of an epidemic. The efficiency of the control strategy is improved by an earlier epidemic alert. In French Polynesia, dengue-3 virus circulated since 1989 at low level and, in May 1996, a specific epidemiological surveillance was undertaken because of the threat of a dengue-4 epidemic. From each suspected dengue case reported by 18 Polynesian physicians located in the Société Islands, a blood sample was taken for virological assay and clinical data were reported. Between May and November 1996, the virology unit of the Institut Malardé isolated 21 viruses (2 dengue-3 and 19 dengue-2) from 302 suspected cases. The dengue-specific epidemiological surveillance confirmed that dengue-2 virus was circulating and reduced the time of the epidemiological alert by 2 or 3 months compared to previous epidemics. Taking into account the day of illness, a logistic regression undertaken on the clinical data showed that the absence of cough was the only predictive sign of dengue diagnosis. The performance of this dengue-specific epidemiological surveillance system led us to consider its implementation in all concerned countries. A collaboration with international reference laboratories could be a solution for the developing countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Plasma levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha and transforming growth factor beta-1 in children with dengue 2 virus infection in French Polynesia.

The pathogenesis of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) is not well understood. In the absence of predictive clinical or biological criteria, the management of DHF patients remains difficult. The role played by cytokines in the occurrence of DHF has been suggested by several authors. In this study, we determined the plasma levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF beta-1) in 52 children with laboratory-confirmed dengue virus infection admitted to hospital during the recent dengue 2 outbreak in French Polynesia. Thirty-three children were classified as having dengue fever (DF) and 19 as DHF. The plasma of both DF and DHF patients contained similar levels of TNF alpha. By contrast, plasma obtained from children with DHF had significantly higher levels of TGF beta-1 than plasma from children with DF, especially from days 1 to 3 after the onset of fever.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Periodicity of Wuchereria bancrofti var. pacifica filariasis in French Polynesia.

In 1992, a study on microfilaremia periodicity was carried out on 12 Wuchereria bancrofti carriers in the Marquesas islands. Blood samples were collected simultaneously every 4 hours during a 48 hour period by finger-prick and venipuncture for determination of microfilaremia by both blood film and membrane filtration technique methods, and for determination of antigenemia. The membrane filtration results showed no significant nycthemeral variations between the microfilaria densities at hours 16:00, 20:00, 24:00, 04:00, 08:00 and 12:00. Conversely, the blood film method showed a significant difference between the microfilaria densities: the microfilaremia was higher during the day (12:00-20:00 hours) than during the night (24:00-08:00 hours). As for antigenemia, using Og 4 C3 monoclonal antibody, there was no significant fluctuation during 48 hours. These results confirm that W. bancrofti var. pacifica is subperiodic and diurnal in French Polynesia. In particular, they substantiate the validity of examining venous blood by the membrane filtration technique as the judgment criterion of choice in therapeutic trials and of examining capillary blood during peak hours by the blood film method for evaluating the endemic level in a population.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hepatic amebiasis in French Polynesia. A study of 25 cases].

The authors report a retrospective study of 25 cases of hepatic amebiasis which were observed from 1988 to 1990 in Tahiti. The symptoms were typical in 20 patients and incomplete in 5 other patients. The ultrasonic examinations showed one (n = 14) or several abscesses (n = 11). The majority were located at the right lobe of the liver (84%). Except in one case where the abscess had a high echo response (it was a pseudo-tumour), the others showed a low echo response or were liquid. The serology (hemagglutination) was always positive but once, at the first examination or afterwards. Recovery was obtained by all patients on an average of 6 days for clinical signs and of three months for ultrasonic features, by administering Metronidazole, combined twice with a drainage (transcutaneous = 1 case, surgical = 1 case). Neither rupture, nor relapse occurred. This series is related to other studies made in South Pacific, Africa and France. It underlines the topicality of amebiasis in French Polynesia, and the interest for the Health Services to carry out a program against this endemy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Significance of IgM titration by an immunoenzyme technic for the serodiagnosis and epidemiological surveillance of dengue in French Polynesia].

The usefulness of IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA-IgM) for the diagnosis of dengue was studied using several groups of sera. An attempt was made to detect IgM against each dengue serotype. Of 76 paired sera from patients with dengue type 4 infection, the diagnosis was confirmed by ELISA-IgM in 74: in 47 out of 49 primary dengue infections and in all 27 secondary dengue infections. It was possible to detect IgM in 15 of the acute sera of primary infections and in 16 of the acute sera of secondary infections. In 20 patients from whom only single serum with high haemagglutination-inhibition titre (greater than or equal to 640) was available, 18 were found positive for dengue IgM. Dengue infection was also confirmed in 10 patients with dengue type 1 and in 10 patients with dengue type 2. IgM was detected in 1 of the acute sera of patients with either dengue type 1 or dengue type 2 infection. In all cases in which IgM was detected, a positive response was obtained for the homologous antigen. ELISA-IgM on sequential serum samples from 7 proven cases of dengue type 4 revealed that antibody titres greater than or equal to 400 are reached early in the second week of the illness and persist for 60 days or more at a low level (titre less than 400). An attempt was made to obtain a type-specific presumptive diagnosis by analysing the relative titre against each of the 4 antigens. It was possible to make a diagnosis of dengue type 4 in 85% and 52% of IgM-positive responses in primary and secondary infections (p less than 0.01), respectively, using paired sera from patients with known dengue type 4 infection. ELISA-IgM was shown to be of interest in the diagnosis and surveillance of dengue in French Polynesia where dengue viruses are, presently, the only known flavivirus.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A comprehensive professional evaluation of the program Obesity in French Polynesia].

A professional evaluation of the program of the fight against obesity set up by the French Polynesian Health Board for a five-year period was carried out in 2001. A comprehensive evaluation was favoured so that adjustments could be better established. Its principle is based on qualitative analysis of the speech of the 27 actors belonging to all levels of intervention and decision in the program. It aims to highlight the convergences and the deviations between what the program produced on the socio-cultural environment and their institutional or professional references. Semi-directive interviews were carried out. The results highlighted a state of uncertainty in the management of human, financial and material resources linked to the political context--awarding the necessary means for implementing the program remains unpredictable. A lack of human resources, problems of collaborating with other sectors, shortcoming skills, and structures around a methodology and forecast indicators were identified. The objectives (media campaigns, improvement in medical practice, and adaptation of a healthy and balanced food environment) were partially carried out. After a year and a half, the most remarkable result is finally that obesity problem is recognised as a public health priority by the population, professionals and decision-makers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Physical, chemical, and microbiological characteristics of microbial mats (kopara) in the South Pacific atolls of French Polynesia.

Microbial mats that develop in shallow brackish and hyposaline ponds in the rims of two French polynesian atolls (Rangiroa and Tetiaroa) were intensively investigated during the past three years. Comparative assessment of these mats (called kopara in polynesian language) showed remarkable similarities in their composition and structure. Due to the lack of iron, the color of the cyanobacterial pigments produced remained visible through the entire depth of the mats (20-40 cm depth), with alternate green, purple, and pink layers. Profiles of oxygen, sulfide, pH, and redox showed the anoxia of all mats from a depth of 2-3 mm. Analyses of bacterial pigments and bacterial lipids showed that all mats consisted of stratified layers of cyanobacteria (mainly Phormidium, Schizothrix, Scytonema) and purple and green phototrophic bacteria. The purple and green phototrophic bacteria cohabit with sulfate reducers (Desulfovibrio and Desulfobacter) and other heterotrophic bacteria. The microscopic bacterial determination emphasized the influence of salinity on the bacterial diversity, with higher diversity at low salinity, mainly for purple nonsulfur bacteria. Analyses of organic material and of exopolymers were also undertaken. Difference and similarities between mats from geomorphological, microbiological, and chemical points of view are discussed to provide multicriteria of classification of mats.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1999

240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratios and 239 + 240Pu total measurements in surface and deep waters around Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls compared with Rangiroa atoll (French Polynesia).

The average values of 240Pu/239Pu mass isotopic ratios of plutonium deposited in Mururoa and Fangataufa atoll sediments by French atmospheric nuclear tests range from 3.5 to 5%. In order to assess the near field and far field influence of those deposits in the open ocean, two water profiles were measured for 239 + 240Pu and 240Pu/239Pu using, for the first time, an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer which was developed to achieve femtogram detection limits. One site was located at the limit of the French territorial waters, which is 22 km distant from Mururoa. The second site was located close to Rangiroa atoll, at a distance of approximately 1200-km from French nuclear test sites. The sample volumes were approximately 500 litres and plutonium was purified prior to mass spectrometry and alpha spectrometry measurements. In Rangiroa, the 239 + 240Pu profile is comparable with those already determined in world open oceans but the maximum detected activity, 9 mBq/m3 at 500-600 m is a lot lower than those measured in the northern hemisphere. 240Pu/239Pu ratios were measured between 500 and 1000 m and were not statistically different from the typical 0.18 +/- 0.01 ratio which characterises the global fallout. Consequently, any influence of plutonium from the tests in Mururoa and Fangataufa is not apparent at Rangiroa. The vertical distribution of 239 + 240Pu near Mururoa shows similar changes with depth but with a slight increase in concentration. 240Pu/239Pu mass ratios vary with depth, from 7 to 10% in the upper 500 m and in the deep waters (below 1000 m) to 15-16% between 600 and 1000 m. A contribution from plutonium deposited in the sediments at Mururoa and Fangataufa is observed at the limit of territorial waters, especially in surface and deep waters.

Half-Life↗
PubMed2004

A novel exopolymer-producing bacterium, Paracoccus zeaxanthinifaciens subsp. payriae, isolated from a "kopara" mat located in Rangiroa, an atoll of French Polynesia.

An aerobic, mesophilic and heterotrophic marine bacterium designated RA19, able to produce two different exocellular polymers and zeaxanthin, was isolated from a French polynesian bacterial mat (localy named "kopara") situated in the atoll of Rangiroa. This microorganism, on the basis of its phenotypical features and the genotypic investigations, can be clearly assigned to the Parococcus zeaxanthinifaciens species and the name Parococcus zeaxanthinifaciens subsp. payriae is proposed. Optimal growth occurs between 30 degrees C and 35 degrees C, at pH between 6.5 and 7.5 and at ionic strength between 20 and 40 g/L of NaCl. The guanine-plus-cytosine content of DNA was 65.6%. This bacterium excreted, under laboratory conditions, two different polymers: a water-soluble exopolysaccharide (EPSI) consisting of 5 different sugars and a non-water-soluble macromolecule assumed to be of a glycoproteinic nature. The high sulfate content of the EPS1 and preliminary biological tests clearly showed that applications could be found in the very near future for both polymers in the cosmetic area. Their contribution to the viscous laminated microbial mat locally called "kopara" can be also mentioned.

Base Composition↗
PubMed2001

Ambient temperature effects on the extrinsic incubation period of Wuchereria bancrofti in Aedes polynesiensis: implications for filariasis transmission dynamics and distribution in French Polynesia.

Temperature effects on development of the human filarial parasite Wuchereria bancrofti (Cobbold) (Filaridea: Onchocercidae) in the main Pacific vector Aedes polynesiensis Marks (Diptera: Culicidae) are analysed in relation to ambient climatic conditions. A statistical model of the extrinsic cycle duration as a function of temperature is described and used to distinguish three patterns of W. bancrofti transmission dynamics: continuous, fluctuating and discontinuous, occurring from north to south geographically among French Polynesian archipelagos. In the northerly Marquesas Islands (8-11 degrees S) filariasis transmission is continuous and very active, facilitated by perennially high temperatures combined with constantly high rates of man-vector contact. In the southerly Australes Islands (21-28 degrees S) filariasis transmission is seasonally discontinuous and, during the cooler months (May-September), the model predicts virtually no transmission because the cycle duration exceeds the life expectancy of the vector. In the Society Islands (16-18 degrees S), between the Marquesas and Australes, transmission is predicted to be intermediate as expected from their latitude, with seasonally fluctuating transmission potential. In the Tuamotu Islands (also geographically intermediate: 14-23 degrees S), with theoretically perennial transmission potential, transmission occurs only intermittently, being limited by other human and environmental factors whereby man-vector contact is confined to seasonal agricultural situations. Generally, among French Polynesian archipelagos where Aedes polynesiensis is the vector, the transmission potential for W. bancrofti and resulting disease manifestations of lymphatic filariasis in humans are correlated with ambient temperature due to the degree of southern latitude.

Aedes↗
PubMed1976

[Fa'a'mu and Fanau. Various traditional aspects and current problems of adoption and donation of children in French Polynesia].

The old polynesian custom of giving a child persits. One child in three or four is asked for and adopted (Fa'a'amu). It was not officially recognized, which had no disadvantage as it was between Maoris and inside enlarged polynesian families. But quick acculturation and urbanization, social and economical changes of the past ten years have changed all that. The contradiction between french law and tahitian traditional customs exposes these fa'a'amu children, with no legal statute and without judicial protection, to many drawbacks. First in their tahitian families because they get no family allowances. On the other hand some Europeans wishing to adopt children take often advantages, though it is illegal, of the generosity of the prolific tahitian women (no contraception in Tahiti) who seldom refuse giving children to a European, without understanding clearly that complete adoption (european model) cuts every tie with the biological family (Fanau). The illegal appropriation of these children sometimes leave them deprived of statute and legal protection in Europe (or America, or even Japan?). We have here an exemple of what happens when two cultures meet, whose customs and values are totally different.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1994

Genetic control of susceptibility to leprosy in French Polynesia; no evidence for linkage with markers on telomeric human chromosome 2.

Several lines of evidence have suggested a role of genetic factors in susceptibility to leprosy. In the mouse, natural susceptibility to infection with mycobacteria is controlled by the chromosome 1 Bcg locus, a region which is syntenic with a fragment of the human chromosome 2q, region q31-q37. It has been postulated that a human homolog of the Bcg gene controls susceptibility to leprosy per se, and may be located on chromosome 2q. In order to test the influence of this putative gene on leprosy per se, we performed linkage analyses in a set of seven multicase French Polynesian pedigrees, using an affected sib pair method and the LOD score method employing different modes of inheritance. Family members were typed for eight polymorphic loci on chromosome 2q: CRYGP1, FN, TNP1, VIL, DES, INH, PAX3, and UGT1A1. Our data provide evidence against the presence of a gene controlling susceptibility to leprosy per se on human chromosome 2q in the French Polynesian population.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2↗
PubMed1992

Histology of the reproductive tract of hybrids between gonochoristic males and parthenogenetic females of Lepidodactylus lugubris in French Polynesia (Reptilia, Gekkonidae).

Parthenogenetic populations of the gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris are widespread throughout Polynesia. They often occur parapatrically, and occasionally syntopically, with the increasingly rare bisexual populations. In these instances, a small number of hybrid individuals occur and include both "female" and "male" external phenotypes, both with greatly reduced gonads. Histological examination demonstrates that these hybrids possess small ovotestes. The differentiation of the cortical tissue is identical in both "male" and "female" hybrids, but the medullary tissue is more developed in "males." The remainder of the genital tract in "females" resembles that of fertile females in the parthenogenetic and bisexual populations. By contrast, the "male" hybrids are markedly intersexual. In one of the two specimens autopsied, the hemipenes are more or less the same size as those of bisexual males, and the sexual segment of the kidney is hypertrophied and serous. In the other hybrid "male," the hemipenes have a structure similar to that seen in females, and the sexual segment of the kidney is poorly differentiated. In both hybrid "males," the ductus deferens is extremely narrow and further reduced in its middle portion; oviducts are present and resemble those of normal or hybrid females. Thus, embryonic-like gonads are associated with complete and normal female reproductive ducts in hybrid "females." Hybrid "males" also have embryonic-like gonads and feminized genital ducts but associated with secondary sexual characters that match those of sexually active or quiescent normal males.

Animals↗