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Objectives:

I- Development of innovative detection techniques (in particular real-time microfluidic PCR) to better characterise pathogens transmitted by ticks or other arthropod vectors.

High-throughput detection technique for vector-borne pathogens, based on real-time microfluidic PCR (Fluidigm, USA)

II- Study of the vectorial competence of ticks in relation to different pathogens (bacteria, parasites and viruses).

III- Study of co-infections between ticks and their mammalian hosts by developing co-infection models in ticks and mice, using the following pathogens: Borrelia afzelii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and tick-borne encephalitis virus. This objective is part of a collaborative project coordinated by the MiTick team and funded by Labex Ibeid (2021-2024).

Techniques available for infecting ticks and assessing vector competence

IV- Development of techniques (geometric morphometry, use of spots on the ventral surface) to identify different tick species.

Geometric morphometry technique for the identification of tick species

Major results:

I- Development of high-throughput tools based on real-time microfluidic PCR for the detection of 65 bacteria, 28 parasites, 53 tick-borne viruses and 206 mosquito-borne viruses in epidemiological studies:

Numerous national and international collaborations on the subject.

• Publications that detail the techniques developed:

High-throughput screening of tick-borne pathogens in Europe, 2014, Michelet et al. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Prevalence of tick-borne viruses in Ixodes ricinus assessed by high-throughput real-time PCR, 2018, Gondard et al. Pathogens and Disease

A New High-Throughput Tool to Screen Mosquito-Borne Viruses in Zika Virus Endemic/Epidemic Areas, 2019, Moutailler et al. Viruses

Upscaling the Surveillance of Tick-borne Pathogens in the French Caribbean Islands, 2020, Gondard et al. Pathogens

• Publications using the technique :

High Diversity, Prevalence, and Co-infection Rates of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks and Wildlife Hosts in an Urban Area in Romania, 2021, Borsan et al. Front. Microbiol. 

Atelerix algirus, the North African Hedgehog: Suitable Wild Host for Infected Ticks and Fleas and Reservoir of Vector-Borne Pathogens in Tunisia, 2021, Balti et al. Pathogens

Clinical Aspects and Detection of Emerging Rickettsial Pathogens: A "One Health" Approach Study in Serbia, 2020, 2022, Banovic et al. Front Microbiol.

II- Study of the vectorial competence of different species of Ixodes and different populations of Ixodes ricinus with respect to Kemerovo virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus:

Evaluation of two artificial infection methods of live ticks as tools for studying interactions between tick-borne viruses and their tick vectors, 2022, Migné et al. Scientific Reports

Evaluation of Vector Competence of Ixodes Ticks for Kemerovo Virus, 2022, Migné et al. Viruses

III- Study of wing spots in species close to Culicoides as a diagnostic tool :

An Android App to Classify Culicoides Pusillus and Obsoletus Species, 2021, Gutiérrez et al. Applications of Computational Intelligence 

An approach to automatic classification of Culicoides species by learning the wing morphology, 2020, Venegas et al. PlosOne 

MosCla app: An android app to classify Culicoides species, 2020, Gutiérrez et al. IEEE Xplore

Geometrical Characterization of Dipterans’ Wings Towards Automatic Mosquito Identification, 2019, Benalcazar et al. IEEE Xplore

Image processing algorithm for improving the identification of patterns on Diptera wings, 2016, Benitez et al. IEEE Xplore

IV- Development of geometric morphometry in species close to Culicoides

Wing geometry as a tool for discrimination of Obsoletus group (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae: Culicoides) in France, 2014, Hadj-Henni et al. Inf. Gen. Evol. 

Taxonomic assessment of Culicoides brunnicans, C. santonicus and C. vexans (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in France: Implications in systematics, 2015, Hadj-Henni et al.  Inf. Gen. Evol. 

Comprehensive characterisation of Culicoides clastrieri and C. festivipennis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) according to morphological and morphometric characters using a multivariate approach and DNA barcode, 2021, Hadj-Henni et al. Scientific Reports

Current projects:

• Coinfections: New insights regarding tick co-infection (2021-2024). Coordinator: MiTick team
• Microfluidic: National and international collaborations on microfluidic PCR detection of pathogens transmitted by arthropods (since 2014). Coordinator: S Moutailler
• Morphometry-geometry: Tool development (since 2021). Coordinator: Denis Augot

Collaborations :

• National :

- ANSES (JRU Virologie, EPI, Nancy)

- INRAE (Oniris, Theix, Corte)

- CIRAD (Montpellier)

- Institut Pasteur (Paris)

- University de Corte

• International :

- International Network of Pasteur Institutes : Tunisie, Maroc, Algérie, Iran, Liban, Sénégal, Cambodge, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guyane, Guadeloupe

- National Veterinary Institute (SVA) : Sweden

- Technical University of Denmark (DTU) et Statens Serum Institut (SSI) : Denmark 

- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) : United Kingdom

- Wageningen University & Research (WUR) et National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) : Netherlands

- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) : Germany

- Biological Center SAS/Institut of Parasitology : Czech Republic