title: Tracking zoonotic pathogens using blood-sucking flies as 'flying syringes'.
abstract: About 60% of emerging infectious diseases in humans are of zoonotic origin. Their increasing number requires the development of new methods for early detection and monitoring of infectious agents in wildlife. Here, we investigated whether blood meals from hematophagous flies could be used to identify the infectious agents circulating in wild vertebrates. To this aim, 1230 blood-engorged flies were caught in the forests of Gabon. Identified blood meals (30%) were from 20 vertebrate species including mammals, birds and reptiles. Among them, 9% were infected by different extant malaria parasites among which some belonged to known parasite species, others to new parasite species or to parasite lineages for which only the vector was known. This study demonstrates that using hematophagous flies as 'flying syringes' constitutes an interesting approach to investigate blood-borne pathogen diversity in wild vertebrates and could be used as an early detection tool of zoonotic pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Biogéosciences Unit, Équipe Écologie-Évolutive, UMR 6282 CNRS-université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté-EPHE-AgroSup, Dijon, France.|Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.|Département de Biologie et Écologie Animale, Institut de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Paul-Yannick
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Bitome-Essono
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ollomo
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC Unit, UMR 224-5290 IRD-CNRS-UM, Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arnathau
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC Unit, UMR 224-5290 IRD-CNRS-UM, Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Nancy Diamella
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Mokoudoum
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Lauriane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yacka-Mouele
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Alain-Prince
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Okouga
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Larson
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boundenga
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mve-Ondo
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Judicaël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Obame-Nkoghe
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.|Département de Biologie et Écologie Animale, Institut de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mbehang-Nguema
authors.affiliation: Département de Biologie Animale et Physiologie, Laboratoire de Parasitologie et Écologie, Faculté des Sciences de l'Université de Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroun.
authors.forename: Flobert
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Njiokou
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.|Département de Biologie et Écologie Animale, Institut de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Makanga
authors.affiliation: Biogéosciences Unit, Équipe Écologie-Évolutive, UMR 6282 CNRS-université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté-EPHE-AgroSup, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Rémi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wattier
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.|MIVEGEC Unit, UMR 224-5290 IRD-CNRS-UM, Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ayala
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, United States.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Ayala
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC Unit, UMR 224-5290 IRD-CNRS-UM, Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.|MIVEGEC Unit, UMR 224-5290 IRD-CNRS-UM, Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rougeron
authors.affiliation: Biogéosciences Unit, Équipe Écologie-Évolutive, UMR 6282 CNRS-université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté-EPHE-AgroSup, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bretagnolle
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.|MIVEGEC Unit, UMR 224-5290 IRD-CNRS-UM, Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8519-1253
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prugnolle
authors.affiliation: Équipes UBEEP-ESV, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon.|MIVEGEC Unit, UMR 224-5290 IRD-CNRS-UM, Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7122-2079
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paupy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D004175:Diptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D065928:Forests; D005681:Gabon; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology*; D010271:Parasites / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Plasmodium parasites; ecology; epidemiology; global health; hematophagous flies; tsetse flies