Paupy Christophe, Kassa F.K., Caron M., Nkoghe D., Leroy Eric. (2012). A chikungunya outbreak associated with the vector Aedes albopictus in remote villages of Gabon. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 12 (2), p. 167-169. ISSN 1530-3667.
Titre du document
A chikungunya outbreak associated with the vector Aedes albopictus in remote villages of Gabon
Paupy Christophe, Kassa F.K., Caron M., Nkoghe D., Leroy Eric
Source
Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 2012,
12 (2), p. 167-169 ISSN 1530-3667
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) recently caused major urban outbreaks in central African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cameroon, and Gabon. In Gabon, the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus was shown to be the main CHIKV vector during the 2007 outbreak. This invasive Asian species was first identified in Gabon in early 2007, and was thought to be restricted mainly to coastal provinces where urban epidemic CHIKV foci were recorded. Here we report a CHIKV outbreak in a small cluster of villages isolated in the deep forest of southern Gabon, in which A. albopictus was the main vector. This observation indicates concomitant geographic and ecological spread of CHIKV activity and A. albopictus in remote environments in central Africa, as well as an enhanced risk of propagation of epidemic arboviruses.
