Section: New Results

Viral population structure and dynamics

The work which started a few years ago with the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia (Dr. P. Buchy) and the CIRAD at Montpellier (Dr. R. Frutos) on viral population structure and dynamics has been continued in 2012, focusing on the H5N1 and Dengue viruses. The exploratory statistical approach based on MCoA (see the Bamboo annual report for 2011) was used to identify a novel H5N1 endemic sub-clade specific to Cambodia [27] and the work performed last year on Dengue serotype 1 has been extended in 2012 to serotypes 2 and 3 [11] thus providing a more precise view of the virus population dynamics over the last 12 years and demonstrating "synchronized" replacements most probably linked to climatic disasters like flood or drought.