진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

A postdoc position is available in the research unit UMR PIMIT (Processus infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical, https://umr-pimit.fr/) on Reunion island, to study the interactions between Aedes albopictus mosquitoes and African Zika virus. 

This position is part of the CAZIKANO project, funded by the PEPR MIE (Programme et Équipements Prioritaires de Recherche Maladie Infectieuses Émergentes). 

Context of the project 

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus. ZIKV became a major public health problem in 2013, with epidemics in French Polynesia and Latin America. To date, ZIKV epidemics have been associated with viral strains of Asian genotype. However, ZIKV strains recently isolated in West Africa have strong teratogenic potential and are more efficiently transmitted than Asian strains by mosquitoes. These African ZIKV strains therefore represent a significant risk of emergence at a global scale. The CAZIKANO project, which brings together a large multidisciplinary consortium, aims to decipher the interactions between contemporary African ZIKV strains and their vertebrate (mammalian) and invertebrate (mosquitoes) hosts, and to propose effective therapeutic solutions against ZIKV. 

Main tasks and activities

The post-doctoral fellow will be tasked with: (i) assessing the vectorial competence and vertical transmission of ZIKV strains by Aedes albopictus populations; (ii) analyzing the effects of ZIKV strains on mosquito fitness; and (iii) deciphering the potential role of the NS1 viral protein on vectorial competence.