Jean Piaget University of Cape Verde

BackgroundCulex quinquefasciatus plays a crucial role as a vector of West Nile virus (WNV). This mosquito species is widely distributed in Cape Verde, being found in all inhabited islands of the archipelago. However, no data are currently available on the susceptibility of the local mosquito population to WNV. This study aimed to assess the vector competence of Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes from Santiago Island, Cape Verde, for WNV and to explore the potential impact of its native Wolbachia on virus transmission.MethodsWolbachia-infected and uninfected Cx. quinquefasciatus female mosquitoes were exposed to WNV lineage 1 PT6.39 strain using a Hemotek membrane feeding system. Mosquito samples, including the body, legs, wings and saliva, were collected at days 7, 14 and 21 post-infection (dpi) to assess WNV infection through one-step quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR).ResultsCulex quinquefasciatus from Cape Verde exhibited high susceptibility to the tested strain of WNV. Also, treated females without their native Wolbachia exhibited significantly higher WNV load in their bodies and greater dissemination rate at 7 dpi than their wild-type counterparts carrying Wolbachia.ConclusionsThe high susceptibility to WNV of Cx. quinquefasciatus from Cape Verde poses a potential risk for virus transmission in the archipelago. However, Wolbachia infection in this mosquito species seems to confer protection against WNV dissemination in the early stages of viral infection. Additional research is required to uncover the mechanisms driving this protection and its potential impact on WNV transmission.Graphical abstractSupplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-024-06609-7.

Introdução: A Etapa I do projeto de internacionalização Pontes Atlânticas, do Núcleo Académico de Fisioterapia (NAFisio) da Rede Académica das Ciências da Saúde da Lusofonia (RACS), iniciado no ano letivo 21/22, com segunda edição em 22/23, promove a partilha de perspetivas sobre o contexto educativo e profissional da Fisioterapia entre estudantes de diferentes instituições de ensino superior (IES) membros da RACS. Através da criação de equipas de estudantes de diferentes IES, são realizadas reuniões on-line para partilha das suas realidades, considerando a sua experiência enquanto alunos e futuros profissionais. Objetivos: Identificar o grau de satisfação e impacto da atividade Pontes Atlânticas – Etapa 1 nos alunos participantes no projeto no ano letivo 22/23 e comparar com os resultados do ano letivo 21/22. Material e Métodos: Estudo observacional, descritivo e comparativo, por questionário on-line, disponibilizado por email, no final da atividade dos anos letivos 21/22 e 22/23. A amostra no ano letivo 21/22 foi constituída por 86 estudantes dos 103 participantes iniciais (Portugal, Brasil, Moçambique, Cabo Verde, Angola e São Tomé e Príncipe) e em 22/23 por 41 estudantes de 76 participantes (Portugal, Cabo Verde, Angola e Brasil). Resultados: Considerando e comparando, respetivamente, os resultados obtidos em 21/22 e 22/23: 93% e 83% dos alunos afirmaram que os objetivos eram claros e atingíveis, e que os materiais de suporte foram suficientes; 70% e 51% reportaram que o contacto com os pares e o planeamento foi fácil; 94% e 71% referiu que a atividade ajudou a compreender o contexto nacional/internacional do ensino e da prática da Fisioterapia; e 89% e 80% dos estudantes afirmaram que atividade foi importante para o desenvolvimento de competências pessoais e profissionais, e que deve continuar a ser realizada. Conclusões: Com os resultados obtidos, concluímos que no ano letivo 22/23 a participação diminuiu e algumas das dimensões também sofreram um decréscimo, assumindo-se como um desafio a ser analisado pelo NAFisio, por forma a encontrar estratégias para o ultrapassar. No entanto, consideramos que é um projeto a ter continuidade, uma vez que 80% dos alunos afirmaram que a atividade foi importante para o desenvolvimento de competências pessoais e profissionais.

This study was carried out under the prerogatives of UniPiaget's Study and Planning Office, aiming to describe the contribution that this institution has given to Cape Verdean society and beyond, based on data related to the university and professional careers of its graduates during the first 20 years of operation (2001/2002 -2019/2020). The basic premise was that graduates constitute an immaterial -academic -capital of greater importance to Higher Education Institutions [HEIs], as well as one of the elements that best reflect their commitment to one of their main missions: quality education. By restricting itself to the Cape Verdean context, it seeks to give voice and turn to the guidelines of articles 19. and 20. of the Legal Regime of Cape Verdean HEIs. We focus on the accountability, a concept that applied to the context of HEIs, explains the imperative that is placed on higher education institutions to commit to their mission of providing the Cape Verdean State with data related to their performance, in order to allow it to use them in the redefinition of macroeconomic policies. In the light of the above-mentioned law, especially the number two of the article 20., where we can read that each institution must collect and disseminate information on the employment of its graduates and on their professional careers". We admit that the results help to keep knowledge about, for example, the degree of employability of graduates, the functions they have already performed or are performing. In the 21st century, it is impossible for us to assume education without admitting thatknowledge is constantly changing.This is, therefore, the leitmotiv: to ascertain whether graduates are aware that social demands change at every moment, requiring them to have a permanent place in intellectual and professional growth.We emphasize the weight of theoretical/practical dialectics because it requires a permanent dialogue between those involved in academia and those in the sociolabour context.We chose the quantitative methodology, involving a sample of 329 graduates and the consequent collection of data using a questionnaire, available in Google Forms.The results show that Economics and Management, Educational Sciences, Psychology, Computer Systems Engineering and Sociology are the five courses with the most graduates in the labour market, but also that bi-etapic courses are more favourable to employment than mono-etapic courses.

Aedes mosquito vectors transmit many viruses of global health concern, including dengue, chikungunya and Zika. These vector-borne viral diseases have a limited number of treatment options, and vaccines vary in their effectiveness. Consequently, integrated vector management is a primary strategy for disease control. However, the increasing emergence and spread of insecticide resistance is threatening the efficacy of vector control methods. Identifying mutations associated with resistance in vector populations is important to monitor the occurrence and evolution of insecticide resistance and inform control strategies. Rapid and cost-effective genome sequencing approaches are urgently needed. Here we present an adaptable targeted amplicon approach for cost-effective implementation within next generation sequencing platforms. This approach can identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and small insertions and deletions (indels) in genes involved in insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. We designed and tested eleven amplicons, which included segments of the ace-1 (carbamate target), the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel (vgsc; pyrethroids, DDT and organochlorines), and rdl (dieldrin) genes; thereby covering established knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations (e.g., S989P, I1011M/V, V1016G/I and F1534C), with the potential to identify novel ones. The amplicon assays were designed with internal barcodes, to facilitate multiplexing of large numbers of mosquitoes at low cost, and were sequenced using an Illumina platform. Our approach was evaluated on 152 Ae. aegypti mosquitoes collected in Cabo Verde, an archipelago with a history of arbovirus outbreaks. The amplicon sequence data revealed 146 SNPs, including four non-synonymous polymorphisms in the vgsc gene, one in ace-1 and the 296S rdl mutation previously associated with resistance to organochlorines. The 296S rdl mutation was identified in 98% of mosquitoes screened, consistent with the past use of an organochlorine compound (e.g., DDT). Overall, our work shows that targeted amplicon sequencing is a rapid, robust, and cost-effective tool that can be used to perform high throughput monitoring of insecticide resistance.

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate overall and sex-specific excess all-cause mortality since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic until August 2020 among 22 countries.MethodsCountries reported weekly or monthly all-cause mortality from January 2015 until the end of June or August 2020. Weekly or monthly COVID-19 deaths were reported for 2020. Excess mortality for 2020 was calculated by comparing weekly or monthly 2020 mortality (observed deaths) against a baseline mortality obtained from 2015–2019 data for the same week or month using two methods: (i) difference in observed mortality rates between 2020 and the 2015–2019 average and (ii) difference between observed and expected 2020 deaths.ResultsBrazil, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the UK (England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland) and the USA demonstrated excess all-cause mortality, whereas Australia, Denmark and Georgia experienced a decrease in all-cause mortality. Israel, Ukraine and Ireland demonstrated sex-specific changes in all-cause mortality.ConclusionsAll-cause mortality up to August 2020 was higher than in previous years in some, but not all, participating countries. Geographical location and seasonality of each country, as well as the prompt application of high-stringency control measures, may explain the observed variability in mortality changes.

Mosquitoes of the genus Aedes are the main vectors of many viruses, e.g. dengue and Zika, which affect millions of people each year and for which there are limited treatment options. Understanding how Aedes mosquitoes tolerate high viral loads may lead to better disease control strategies. Elucidating endogenous viral elements (EVEs) within vector genomes may give exploitable biological insights. Previous studies have reported the presence of a large number of EVEs in Aedes genomes. Here we investigated if flavivirus EVEs are conserved across populations and different Aedes species by using ~ 500 whole genome sequence libraries from Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, sourced from colonies and field mosquitoes across continents. We found that nearly all flavivirus EVEs in the Ae. aegypti reference genome originate from four separate putative viral integration events, and that they are highly conserved across geographically diverse samples. By contrast, flavivirus EVEs in the Ae. albopictus reference genome originate from up to nine distinct integration events and show low levels of conservation, even within samples from narrow geographical ranges. Our analysis suggests that flaviviruses integrated as long sequences and were subsequently fragmented and shuffled by transposable elements. Given that EVEs of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus belong to different phylogenetic clades and have very differing levels of conservation, they may have different evolutionary origins and potentially different functional roles.Graphical

Many vector-borne diseases circulate in the Republic of Cabo Verde. These include malaria during the colonization of the archipelago by the Portuguese explorers and several arboviruses such as yellow fever (now eradicated), dengue and zika.To control these vector-borne diseases, an integrated vector control program was implemented. The main targeted mosquito vectors are Aedes aegypti and Anopheles arabiensis, and in a lesser extent the potential arbovirus vector Culex pipiens s.l. The main control strategy is focused on mosquito aquatic stages using diesel oil and Temephos. This latter has been applied in Cabo Verde since 1979. Its continuous use was followed by the emergence of resistance in mosquito populations.We investigated the current susceptibility to Temephos of the three potential mosquito vectors of Cabo Verde through bioassays tests. Our results showed various degrees of susceptibility with 24h post-exposure mortality rates ranging from 43.1% to 90.9% using WHO diagnostic doses. A full susceptibility was however observed with Bacillus thurigiensis var israelensis with mortality rates from 99.6% to 100%.

BackgroundDengue is an arboviral disease caused by dengue virus (DENV), whose main vectors are the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. A. aegypti is the only DENV vector in Cape Verde, an African country that suffered its first outbreak of dengue in 2009. However, little is known about the variation in the level of vector competence of this mosquito population to the different DENV serotypes. This study aimed to evaluate the vector competence of A. aegypti from the island of Santiago, Cape Verde, to four DENV serotypes and to detect DENV vertical transmission.MethodsMosquitoes were fed on blood containing DENV serotypes and were dissected at 7, 14 and 21 days post-infection (dpi) to detect the virus in the midgut, head and salivary glands (SG) using RT-PCR. Additionally, the number of copies of viral RNA present in the SG was determined by qRT-PCR. Furthermore, eggs were collected in the field and adult mosquitoes obtained were analyzed by RT-PCR and the platelia dengue NS1 antigen kit to detect transovarial transmission.ResultsHigh rates of SG infection were observed for DENV-2 and DENV-3 whereas for DENV-1, viral RNA was only detected in the midgut and head. DENV-4 did not spread to the head or SG, maintaining the infection only in the midgut. The number of viral RNA copies in the SG did not vary significantly between DENV-2 and DENV-3 or among the different periods of incubation and the various titers of DENV tested. With respect to DENV surveillance in mosquitoes obtained from the eggs collected in the field, no samples were positive.ConclusionAlthough no DENV positive samples were collected from the field in 2014, it is important to highlight that the A. aegypti population from Santiago Islands exhibited different degrees of susceptibility to DENV serotypes. This population showed a high vector competence for DENV-2 and DENV-3 strains and a low susceptibility to DENV-1 and DENV-4. Viral RNA copies in the SG remained constant for at least 21 dpi, which may enhance the vector capacity of A. aegypti and suggests the presence of a mechanism modulating virus replication in the SG.

Community-based tourism is taking its place in the world as an alternative to traditional tourist destinations, especially in developing countries. This form of tourism allows for greater contact with the local community and for the tourist to experience new sensations while enabling the economic and social development of the geographic area. In this paper, the results of fieldwork carried out in the island of Fogo (Cape Verde) are presented, assessing the opinion and perception tourists visiting this island have of both the quality of the services offered by community-based tourism enterprises, as well as the potential of the tourism resources in the area. The main results of the investigation endorse the quality of services offered to tourists by local businesses and highlight the hospitality of the local community, a key element for the development of this kind of tourism, particularly in different african countries. Similarly, it highlights the passenger satisfaction with services received and the need to strengthen the training to tourism staff through aid, for example, international cooperation, NGOs and universities. The originality of this research comes from analysis of the demand made on a concrete island of Cape Verde, a country which is producing a huge economic development through the tourism sector.

Razões históricas e geográficas fizeram de Cabo Verde, ao longo dos últimos cinco séculos, um lugar de confluência de civilizações e de experimentação/aclimatação dos mais diversos recursos e idéias. Isso se traduziu numa sociedade aberta ao mundo, numa economia de circulação e na personalidade universal do homem cabo-verdiano. Este posicionamento estratégico num mundo globalizado requer uma visão transdisciplinar do cidadão. O ensino superior é um veículo privilegiado para tal e, à luz das recomendações da UNESCO, deve a transdisciplinaridade fazer parte da nova universidade do século XXI. O nascimento de uma universidade transdisciplinar em Cabo Verde parece algo muito natural. Essa universidade nasceu em 2001 (a Universidade Jean Piaget de Cabo Verde) e já desenvolve uma acção transdisciplinar e pesquisa direccionada nesse sentido. O contexto do ensino superior em Cabo Verde, porém, carece de maior atenção e a visão transdisciplinar seria mais do que necessária para uma educação liberal, em pro lduma cidadania terrestre.