Vector-borne diseases : an entomologist's perspective

Arthropod vectors and, above all, mosquitoes - several species of which are efficient vectors of parasites and viruses - are one of the key agents of infectious emergence and re-emergence. These mosquitoes operate within the context of complex vector systems, a major parameter of which is the phenomenon of "competence", i.e. the efficiency with which a pathogen is acquired, carried and transmitted. The biology of competence, a subtle balance, was the subject of this seminar.