Projecten

With this project, we will provide new insights on vectorial arbovirus transmission dynamics, specifically on the role of human movement and frequentation of popular spots. The arboviruses targeted are dengue, Zika and chikungunya. As the Aedes mosquito does not fly far and bites during day time, we hypothesize that the fact of people moving during the day to popular spots (where infected mosquitoes are present), represents a key in the ...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remain one of the most severe health challenges in the world and in Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, accounting for 69% of the people living with HIV worldwide. One effective strategy to reduce HIV transmission would be the development of an effective vaccine. Achieving that goal requires a profound understanding of the interaction between the virus and elements of ...

Introduction: In Cuba, dengue has become one of the major mosquito-borne diseases, with a considerable public health impact. Zika and Chikungunya were recently introduced, the former causing a large outbreak. Empirical evidence point out that the most effective mechanism to reduce these infections is to combat the disease-carrying vectors: A. aegypti and A. albopictus. Although these species are being targeted with control methods for many ...

Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis (T/CC) is a neglected zoonotic parasitic disease complex with significant economic and public health impacts. It has been ranked first on the global scale of foodborne parasitoses by FAO/WHO (2014). Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is estimated to be responsible for 30% of cases of acquired epilepsy in endemic areas. Currently, there are no cheap, easy to apply, sensitive and specific diagnostic tools available for ...

In a previous project (GeMInI), our research group performed pioneering work on the genome diversity of Leishmania donovani. Focusing on a cohort of clinical isolates from the Indian subcontinent, we described a large epidemic population, highly homogeneous from a sequence point of view (in average 173 SNPs/strain in 94 % of the strains), but highly heterogeneous in its genome structure, essentially in the form of massive aneuploidy, ...

Malaria is a potentially life-threatening mosquito-borne disease causing a wide variety of symptoms such as high fever, chills, headache, and vomiting among others [1]. Of the five-known species of Plasmodium parasites [2], P. falciparum is responsible for the majority of malaria deaths globally as the most severe and prevalent species in Sub-Saharan Africa [3]. Despite increased efforts to eradicate malaria worldwide with a reduced incidence ...

Taenia solium taeniosis and cysticercosis is a zoonotic disease affecting pig production and human Health in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Studies conducted in Ecuador have shown the presence of T. solium related epilepsy, cysticercosis and taeniosis but at the present time, no T. solium control programme has been elaborated or conducted in this country, in spite of the disease being considered potentially eradicable. To eliminate the disease ...

Malaria remains a significant health challenge globally, particularly in the Amazon Basin, which accounts for most malaria cases in Latin America (LATAM). Despite efforts in the region, malaria persists due to several challenges for control and elimination, including transmission in remote and border areas, human and environmental factors, difficulties in diagnosis and potential drug resistance. In Peru, the fourth-highest malaria burden country ...

Interacties tussen vogels en Ixodes teken worden geacht humane infectierisico's voor teekoverdraagbare ziekten te beïnvloeden. Gebruikmakend van diagnostische testen, trachten we informatie te bekomen over de bijdrage van zangvogels en vogelteken in de terrestrische cycli van Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. en rickettsiale bacteriën. We spitsen ons toe op de infectierisico's bij vogels en de capaciteit bij vogelteken om de bacteriën over te dragen.