Éditeur(s) : CIRAD : Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement CIRAD : Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement CIRAD : Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement
Extrait de : "Projet DEVAG" : conférence, le 5 décembre 2013. Université des Antilles et de la Guyane
Description : Cette seconde tranche de débats s'articule autour du processus d'identification des espèces pour le mélanges des cultures associées. Il y sera également question d'un compte rendu sur la résistance à la mouche des fruits sur une plantation de goyave. Quelques précisions seront également apportées sur les propriétés insecticides des plantes.
Siècle(s) traité(s) : 21
Droits : CC-BY-NC-ND - Attribution - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Pas de modification
Permalien : http://www.manioc.org/fichiers/V14094
V14094
V14094
V14094

Éditeur(s) : GFP : Groupe Français des Pesticides GFP : Groupe Français des Pesticides
Extrait de : "Protection des cultures et santé environnementale : héritages et conceptions nouvelles" : congrès, le 26 mai 2014. Université des Antilles et de la Guyane
Description : Dans le cadre d'une activité de recherche à visée opérationnelle pour lutter contre l'épidémie de dengue et de chikungunya, un suivi de la résistance aux insecticides des moustiques Aedes aegypti et Culex quinquefasciatus est réalisé.
Siècle(s) traité(s) : 21
Droits : CC-BY-NC-ND - Attribution - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Pas de modification
Permalien : http://www.manioc.org/fichiers/V14205
V14205
V14206

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Mosquito Control Association
Résumé : Research on natural insecticides has intensified with the spread of resistance to chemicals among insects, particularly disease vectors. To evaluate compounds, the World Health Organization (WHO) has published standardized procedures. However, those may be excessively compound-consuming when it comes to assessing the activity of natural extracts and pure compounds isolated in limited amount. As part of our work on the discovery of new mosquito larvicides from Amazonian plants, we developed a compound-saving assay in 5-ml glass tubes instead of WHO larval 100-m1 cups. Comparing activity of synthetic and natural chemicals validated the glass tube assay. Raw data, lethal doses that kill 50% (LD50) and 90% (LD90) at 24 and 48 h, were highly correlated (0.68 < R-2 < 0.96, P < 0.001, Pearson test) between cups and tubes. It was also established that 10 tubes (N = 50 larvae) provided the same level of sensitivity as 20 tubes (N= 100). This method proved suitable for rapid screening of natural extracts and molecules, identifying active compounds using 10 times less material than in the WHO protocol.
ISSN: 8756-971X

hal-01602207
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01602207
DOI : 10.2987/16-6613.1
PRODINRA : 394297
PUBMED : 28206865

Éditeur(s) : GFP : Groupe Français des Pesticides GFP : Groupe Français des Pesticides GFP : Groupe Français des Pesticides
Extrait de : "Protection des cultures et santé environnementale : héritages et conceptions nouvelles" : congrès, le 26 mai 2014. Université des Antilles et de la Guyane
Description : Un certain nombre d'études animales ont démontré la toxicité reproductive et la neurotoxicité développementale des insecticides organophosphorés. Quelques études épidémiologiques suggèrent un rôle de l'exposition aux insecticides organophosphorés sur la croissance foetale de façon concordante pour les groupes de population présentant une susceptibilité génétique particulière (faible activité paraoxonase 1). Ces études sont pour l'essentiel des études de cohorte de population générale nord-américaine. L'objectif est d'étudier l'association entre l'exposition prénatale aux insecticides organophosphorés et la croissance intra-utérine à partir de marqueurs urinaires d'exposition pendant la grossesse et en tenant compte de susceptibilités génétiques potentielles (PON1), à partir d'une cohorte mères-enfants dans la population française.
Siècle(s) traité(s) : 21
Droits : CC-BY-NC-ND - Attribution - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Pas de modification
Permalien : http://www.manioc.org/fichiers/V14216
V14216
V14216
V14216

Éditeur(s) : GFP : Groupe Français des Pesticides GFP : Groupe Français des Pesticides
Extrait de : "Protection des cultures et santé environnementale : héritages et conceptions nouvelles" : congrès, le 26 mai 2014. Université des Antilles et de la Guyane
Description : L'usage d'insecticides dans le cas d'activités de démoustication/lutte antivectorielle nécessite l'acquisition de données de toxicité à court et à long terme chez l'abeille domestique du fait de la présence possible de ruches dans les zones d'interventions et de la nature des substances utilisées. Or il y a une absence de données in situ obtenues suite à un traitement de lutte antivectorielle. L'objectif est donc d'étudier les effets d'un traitement larvicide comme le Bti, le Méthoprène (Aigues Mortes) et un traitement adulticide in situ comme la Deltaméthrine (Martinique).
Siècle(s) traité(s) : 21
Droits : CC-BY-NC-ND - Attribution - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Pas de modification
Permalien : http://www.manioc.org/fichiers/V14204
V14204
V14204

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Pyrethroids are widely-used chemical insecticides, to which humans are commonly exposed, and known to alter functional expression of drug metabolizing enzymes. Limited data have additionally suggested that drug transporters, that constitute key-actors of the drug detoxification system, may also be targeted by pyrethroids. The present study was therefore designed to analyze the potential regulatory effects of these pesticides towards activities of main ATP-binding cassette (ABC) and solute carrier (SLC) drug transporters, using transporter-overexpressing cells. The pyrethroids allethrin and tetramethrin were found to inhibit various ABC and SLC drug transporters, including multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) 2, breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), organic anion transporter polypeptide (OATP) 1B1, organic anion transporter (OAT) 3, multidrug and toxin extrusion transporter (MATE) 1, organic cation transporter (OCT) 1 and OCT2, with IC50 values however ranging from 2.6 muM (OCT1 inhibition by allethrin) to 77.6 muM (OAT3 inhibition by tetramethrin) and thus much higher than pyrethroid concentrations (in the nM range) reached in environmentally pyrethroid-exposed humans. By contrast, allethrin and tetramethrin cis-stimulated OATP2B1 activity and failed to alter activities of OATP1B3, OAT1 and MATE2-K, whereas P-glycoprotein activity was additionally moderately inhibited. Twelve other pyrethoids used at 100 muM did not block activities of the various investigated transporters, or only moderately inhibited some of them (inhibition by less than 50%). In silico analysis of structure-activity relationships next revealed that molecular parameters, including molecular weight and lipophilicity, are associated with transporter inhibition by allethrin/tetramethrin and successfully predicted transporter inhibition by the pyrethroids imiprothrin and prallethrin. Taken together, these data fully demonstrated that two pyrethoids, i.e., allethrin and tetramethrin, can act as regulators of the activity of various ABC and SLC drug transporters, but only when used at high and non-relevant concentrations, making unlikely any contribution of these transporter activity alterations to pyrethroid toxicity in environmentally exposed humans.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01477206
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01477206
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0169480
PUBMED : 28099443

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: Several studies suggest that exposure to organophosphate insecticides (OP) during pregnancy impairs neurodevelopment in children. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated associations between biomarkers of prenatal and postnatal OP exposure and cognitive function of 6-year-olds in a French longitudinal birth cohort. METHODS: In 2002-2006, the PELAGIE mother-child cohort enrolled pregnant women from Brittany. For a random subcohort, we measured nonspecific dialkylphosphate metabolites (DAP) of OP in one maternal urine sample, collected before 19 weeks' gestation, and in one urine sample collected from their 6-year-old children. Six subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-4th edition (WISC-IV) was administered at 6 years to evaluate cognitive function (n=231). Linear regression models controlling for factors including maternal intelligence and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment score were used. RESULTS: WISC-IV scores were not significantly associated with prenatal or childhood total DAP metabolites. WISC verbal comprehension score was significantly higher in association with the highest maternal urinary concentrations of diethylphosphate metabolites (DE) (5.5; 95% CI: 0.8, 10.3 for extgreater 13.2 nmol/L versus extlessLOQ), while WISC working memory score was significantly lower in association with the highest urinary concentrations of DE metabolites at age 6 years (-3.6; 95% CI: -7.8, -0.6 for extgreater 11.1 nmol/L versus extlessLOD). CONCLUSION: This study found no evidence that prenatal OP exposure adversely affected cognitive function in 6-year-olds, perhaps because of the higher population's socioeconomic status than in previous studies though other causal and non-causal explanations are also possible. The negative association between WISC score and concurrent DE urinary concentrations requires replication by longitudinal studies investigating childhood OP exposure
Environmental Health Perspectives

hal-01207282
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01207282
DOI : 10.1289/ehp.1409472
PUBMED : 26394442

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BMJ Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
Objective The potential impact of environmental exposure to pyrethroid insecticides on child neurodevelopment has only just started to receive attention despite their widespread use. We investigated the associations between prenatal and childhood exposure to pyrethroid insecticides and behavioural skills in 6-year-olds. Methods The PELAGIE cohort enrolled 3421 pregnant women from Brittany, France between 2002 and 2006. 428 mothers were randomly selected for the study when their children turned 6, and 287 (67%) agreed to participate. Children's behaviour was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Three subscales (prosocial behaviour, internalising disorders and externalising disorders) were considered. Five pyrethroid metabolites were measured in maternal and child urine samples collected between 6 and 19 gestational weeks and at 6 years of age, respectively. Logistic regression and reverse-scale Cox regression models were used to estimate the associations between SDQ scores and urinary pyrethroid metabolite concentrations, adjusting for organophosphate metabolite concentrations and potential confounders. Results Increased prenatal cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (DCCA) concentrations were associated with internalising difficulties (Cox p value=0.05). For childhood 3phenoxybenzoic acid (PBA) concentrations, a positive association was observed with externalising difficulties (Cox p value=0.04) and high ORs were found for abnormal or borderline social behaviour (OR 2.93, 95% CI 1.27 to 6.78, and OR 1.91, 95% CI 0.80 to 4.57, for the intermediate and highest metabolite categories, respectively). High childhood trans-DCCA concentrations were associated with reduced externalising disorders (Cox p value=0.03). Conclusions The present study suggests that exposure to certain pyrethroids, at environmental levels, may negatively affect neurobehavioral development by 6 years of age.
ISSN: 1351-0711

hal-01519255
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01519255
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01519255/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01519255/file/Behavioural%20disorders%20in%206-year-old%20children_JFViel_HAL.pdf
DOI : 10.1136/oemed-2016-104035

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
OBJECTIVE: Contemporary pesticides, such as triazines or organophosphates, possess immunotoxic properties. We aimed to determine whether prenatal environmental exposure to these current-use pesticides was associated with otitis media (OM) during the first 2 years of life among children from the PELAGIE mother-child cohort. METHODS: The PELAGIE cohort enrolled 3421 women at the beginning of pregnancy in Brittany (France). At the 2-year follow-up, 1505 families completed a self-administered questionnaire, including the domestic use of pesticides and consumption of organic diet during pregnancy and occurrences of OM in the child. Two health outcomes were considered: at least one OM and recurrent OM (at least three). Multivariate logistic regression models that adjusted for known risk factors of OM were performed. Metabolites of triazine herbicides and organophosphate insecticides measured in urine collected before the 19th week of gestation (248 mothers) were considered in a subgroup analysis. Multiple imputation was used to handle missing values for the covariates. RESULTS: Children whose mothers reported an organic diet during pregnancy had a reduced risk of OM (at least one episode, p trend=0.01). No association was found between any outcome and residential proximity to crops. The presence in maternal urine of dealkylated triazine metabolites (OR=2.12 (1.01 to 4.47)) was positively associated with recurrent OM. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to suggest a positive association between prenatal exposure to current-use pesticides and the occurrence of parent-reported OM in young children
Occupational and Environmental Medicine

hal-01201944
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01201944
DOI : 10.1136/oemed-2015-103039
PUBMED : 26347056

Éditeur(s) : GFP : Groupe Français des Pesticides
Extrait de : "Protection des cultures et santé environnementale : héritages et conceptions nouvelles" : congrès, le 26 mai 2014. Université des Antilles et de la Guyane
Description : Après avoir étudié la toxicité des insecticides en lien avec les pratiques agricoles sur les insectes, cette étude s'intéresse à l'exposition de ces insectes (ici les abeilles) à ces pesticides. Pour cela une analyse de miel par des méthodes sensibles est réalisée, pour la mesure d'insecticide avec les pratiques agricoles, notamment les nicotinoides, pyréthrinoides et phénylpyrazoles.
Siècle(s) traité(s) : 21
Droits : CC-BY-NC-ND - Attribution - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Pas de modification
Permalien : http://www.manioc.org/fichiers/V14199
V14199

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Pyrethroid insecticides are widely used in agriculture and in homes. Despite the neurotoxicity of these insecticides at high doses, few studies have examined whether lower-level exposures could adversely affect children's neurodevelopment. The PELAGIE cohort included 3421 pregnant women from Brittany, France between 2002 and 2006. When their children reached their sixth birthday, 428 mothers from the cohort were randomly selected, successfully contacted and found eligible. A total of 287 (67%) mothers agreed to participate with their children in the neuropsychological follow-up. Two cognitive domains were assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: verbal comprehension and working memory. Five pyrethroid and two organophosphate insecticide metabolites were measured in maternal and child first-void urine samples collected between 6 and 19 gestational weeks and at 6 years of age, respectively. Linear regression models were used to estimate associations between cognitive scores and urinary pyrethroid metabolite concentrations, adjusting for organophosphate metabolite concentrations and potential confounders. Maternal prenatal pyrethroid metabolite concentrations were not consistently associated with any children's cognitive scores. By contrast, childhood 3-PBA and cis-DBCA concentrations were both negatively associated with verbal comprehension scores (P-trend = 0.04 and P-trend < 0.01, respectively) and with working memory scores (P-trend = 0.05 and P-trend < 0.01, respectively). No associations were observed for the three other childhood pyrethroid metabolite concentrations (4-F-3-PBA, cis-DCCA, and trans-DCCA). Low-level childhood exposures to deltamethrin (as cis-DBCA is its principal and selective metabolite), in particular, and to pyrethroid insecticides, in general (as reflected in levels of the 3-PBA metabolite) may negatively affect neurocognitive development by 6 years of age. Whatever their etiology, these cognitive deficits may be of importance educationally, because cognitive impairments in children interfere with learning and social development. Potential causes that can be prevented are of paramount public health importance
ISSN: 0160-4120

hal-01162374
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01162374
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01162374/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01162374/file/Pyrethroid%20insecticide%20exposure.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2015.05.009

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Chlordecone (Kepone) is an organochlorine insecticide that has been used as insecticide and fungicide. In the French West Indies, Guadeloupe and Martinique, it was intensively applied to banana fields from 1973 to 1993 to control root borers. This pesticide undergoes no significant biotic or abiotic degradation in the environment and is still present in soils where it was applied. It was only in 1999 that health and environmental authorities became aware of the extent of the chlordecone pollution of environmental media, including soils, waterways, and the food chain. Earlier observations and toxicological studies have demonstrated that chlordecone is a reproductive and developmental toxicant, neurotoxic and carcinogenic in rodents, and is an endocrine-disrupting chemical because of its estrogenic properties both in vitro and in vivo. Several surveys have confirmed that the French West Indian population continues to be exposed to this chemical though consumption of contaminated foodstuffs. Here, we report the findings of various epidemiological studies conducted in the French West Indies to assess the impact of environmental exposure to chlordecone on the health of the population.
ISSN: 0944-1344

hal-01150382
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01150382
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01150382/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01150382/file/Chlordecone%20exposure%20and%20adverse%20effects%20in%20French%20West.pdf
DOI : 10.1007/s11356-015-4621-5

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Dietary exposure to pesticide residues may present a risk to public health, especially for sensitive populations such as pregnant women. To characterize this risk, this study assessed chronic dietary exposure to pesticide residues based on the French ELFE cohort. A self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) about the last three months of pregnancy filled in by pregnant women in 2011 was used in combination with occurrence data from French Total Diet Studies completed by the results of national monitoring programs on pesticide residues in food. The dietary intake of pesticides (μg/kg of body weight/day) was estimated for 14,099 pregnant women with a complete FFQ, for 317 substances under two occurrence scenarios to handle left-censored data: a lower-bound scenario (LB), where undetected results were set to zero, and an upper-bound scenario (UB), where undetected results were set to the detection limit if the substance was expected to be found in food and zero if it was not. The risk was assessed for 284 substances with a toxicological reference value (TRV) and a good coverage level of the diet potentially contributing to pesticide intake. The cumulative risk was also assessed for seven effects on nervous and thyroid systems using the hazard index and the Cumulative Assessment Groups defined by EFSA. Substances with the highest exposure levels under the LB scenario were, in decreasing order, imazalil, piperonyl butoxide, chlorpropham, thiabendazole, iprodione and propargite. Under the LB scenario, only for lindane did women have a statistically significant probability of exceeding the TRV (2.4%). Under the UB scenario, risk could not be excluded for nine other substances. A better management of left-censored data and more sensitive analyses of the main food contributors might help to refine the UB exposure and risk assessments. A statistically significant cumulative risk was found for neurochemical effects related to high intake levels of three organophosphate insecticides (chlorpyrifos, pirimiphos-methyl and dimethoate) mainly detected in fruits and cereals
ISSN: 0160-4120

hal-01319892
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01319892
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2016.04.007
PUBMED : 27187793

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Pyrethroids are insecticides frequently used in agriculture and in the home; exposure occurs through dietary and non-dietary pathways, including indoor and outdoor environmental contamination. Our objective was to study the potential determinants of pyrethroid metabolite concentrations measured in children's urine samples and in the dust of their homes. Specifically, we measured urinary metabolites from morning spot samples of 245 six-year- old children living in Brittany (France) in 2009-2012 and from dust vacuumed from the floor of their homes. Mothers reported home insecticide use, dietary habits, sociodemographic data; residential and school proximity to agricultural crops was assessed with spatialized data. The metabolites cis-DBCA, trans-DCCA, cisDCCA, 3-PBA, and F-PBA were detected in 84, 95, 64, 63, and 16% of the urine samples, respectively. Permethrin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, and tetramethrin pyrethroids were detected in 100, 56, 9, 15, and 26% of the dust samples, respectively. Multiple regression analysis suggested diet plays a role in children's exposure, in particular, the food groups "pasta, rice or semolina" (for cis-DCCA and F-PBA), fruit (3-PBA), "breakfast cereals and whole grain bread" (cis-DBCA), and the global proportion of organic food in diet (for cis-DBCA, trans-DCCA). Children with a parent occupationally exposed to pesticides were about 3-times more likely to have higher urinary concentrations of 3-PBA (OR = 2.8, 95% CI [1.2; 6.5]). Dust content was correlated mainly with household insecticide use: higher mean concentrations of permethrin (beta = 0.8 [0.3; 1.3], in mu g/g) and an increased risk of a detectable level of cyfluthrin (OR = 4.7 [1.7; 12.9]) were observed in home dust, for indoor use of at least twice a year. Outdoor insecticide use at least once a year was associated with detection in dust of cypermethrin (OR = 3.0 [1.3; 6.7]) and tetramethrin (OR = 3.7 [1.6; 8.3]). Three positive and one negative correlations (out of 11) between urinary metabolite concentrations and home dust contents of their possible corresponding parent compounds were observed. The strength of this study lies in its concurrent use of biomarkers, environmental measurements, and potential sources of exposure. Its limitations include the use of a single urine sample and imprecise data about pyrethroid use in local agriculture.
ISSN: 0160-4120

hal-01560147
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01560147
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2017.04.007
PUBMED : 28453973

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The increased use of pesticides has caused concern over the possible direct association of exposure to combinations of these compounds with bee health problems. There is growing proof that bees are regularly exposed to mixtures of agrochemicals, but most research has been focused on managed bees living in farmland, whereas little is known about exposure of wild bees, both in farmland and urban habitats. To determine exposure of wild bumblebees to pesticides in agricultural and urban environments through the season, specimens of five different species were collected from farms and ornamental urban gardens in three sampling periods. Five neonicotinoid insecticides, thirteen fungicides and a pesticide synergist were analysed in each of the specimens collected. In total, 61% of the 150 individuals tested had detectable levels of at least one of the compounds, with boscalid being the most frequently detected (35%), followed by tebuconazole (27%), spiroxamine (19%), carbendazim (11%), epoxiconazole (8%), imidacloprid (7%), metconazole (7%) and thiamethoxam (6%). Quantifiable concentrations ranged from 0.17 to 54.4 ng/g (bee body weight) for individual pesticides. From all the bees where pesticides were detected, the majority (71%) had more than one compound, with a maximum of seven pesticides detected in one specimen. Concentrations and detection frequencies were higher in bees collected from farmland compared to urban sites, and pesticide concentrations decreased through the season. Overall, our results show that wild bumblebees are exposed to multiple pesticides when foraging in agricultural and urban landscapes. Such mixtures are detected in bee tissues not just during the crop flowering period, but also later in the season. Therefore, contact with these combinations of active compounds might be more prolonged in time and widespread in the environment than previously assumed. These findings may help to direct future research and pesticide regulation strategies to promote the conservation of wild bee populations.
ISSN: 0269-7491

hal-01477203
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01477203
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01477203/file/Quantifying%20exposure%20of%20wild%20bumblebees_accepted.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.01.001
PUBMED : 28087090

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
It has been suggested that prenatal exposure to insecticides adversely affects fetal growth, but the overall results have been inconsistent, partly because of the different exposure sources and exposure assessments used. In the French PELAGIE (Perturbateurs Endocriniens: Étude Longitudinale sur les Anomalies de la Grossesse, l'Infertilité et l'Enfance) mother and child cohort (2002-2006), the authors investigated the association between fetal growth and insecticide exposure (n = 1,213) using an integrated Bayesian latent variable model to include multiple exposure sources: agricultural activities, nonorganic diet, household insecticide use on plants, and household insecticide use against insects. They used a questionnaire to collect information on household use and organic diet, and a national agricultural census provided data on agricultural activities in the women's municipalities of residence. A 0.10-cm decrease in head circumference at birth (95% credibility interval: -0.22, 0.01) was associated with fetal insecticide exposure from agricultural activities in the municipality of residence. Decreases in average birth weight (-27 g; 95% credibility interval: -59, 6) and head circumference (-0.12 cm; 95% credibility interval: -0.26, 0.01) were associated with household insecticide use to treat plants. The present results suggest an inverse association between fetal growth and prenatal insecticide exposure from nearby agricultural activity or household use. Bayesian modeling via latent variables is a natural framework for including multiple sources of exposure to environmental pollutants.
ISSN: 0002-9262

hal-00875979
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875979
DOI : 10.1093/aje/kwr422
PUBMED : 22534205

Résumé : Les venins sont des armes sophistiquées, utilisées par les organismes venimeux pour se défendre des prédateurs, ainsi que pour paralyser et tuer leurs proies. Mais dans la nature, le bien n’est jamais très loin du mal, les toxines venimeuses pouvant se révéler être des agents thérapeutiques efficaces. Les peptides de venins de fourmis ont donc été étudiés dans cette thèse afin de déterminer le potentiel de ces toxines pour la découverte de molécules thérapeutiques innovantes. A l’instar des autres venins d’insectes, les venins de fourmis restent peu étudiés, principalement en raison de la petite taille de ces insectes et des quantités limitées de venins disponibles. Cependant, les fourmis offrent l’avantage d’être des insectes sociaux très abondants dans tous les milieux terrestres. En collectant les venins de plusieurs individus, il est donc possible d’obtenir des quantités suffisantes de venin pour les analyses biochimiques et pharmacologiques.Afin d’assurer la reproductibilité des analyses, une identification taxonomique correcte est nécessaire. Dans cette optique, un outil de chimiotaxonomie a été développé durant cette thèse (permettant ainsi de regrouper les venins provenant de plusieurs colonies afin de compenser les faibles quantités de matériel biologique par individu ou par colonie).Ensuite, nous nous sommes intéressés aux facteurs écologiques impliqués dans la diversification des venins de fourmis. Pour cela, la toxicité et la composition des venins de fourmis ont été analysés en relation avec le polyéthisme, la spécialisation alimentaire et la spécialisation défensive.La diversité écologique des fourmis a amplement contribuée à la diversification des venins. En étudiant les venins de 82 espèces de fourmis, nous avons révélé la grande diversité structurale des toxines. Bien que la majorité des peptidomes sont composés par de petits peptides linéaires, des peptides structurés par des ponts disulfure ont été révélés dans de nombreux venins et constituent de nouvelles familles structurales de toxines.La purification de certains de ces peptides à ponts disulfure a permis leur caractérisation biochimique et l’évaluation de leur rôle biologique. Ainsi nous avons décrit un groupe de peptides neurotoxiques, baptisés les formicitoxines qui sont capables de bloquer les canaux calcium humains de type L. La commutatoxine est, quant à elle, un peptide avec un pont disulfure qui semble activer les récepteurs humains TRPV1 et TRPV3 et laisse supposer une implication dans l’induction de la douleur chez les mammifères.La grande diversité des peptides mise en évidence dans les venins, associée à la grande diversité écologique et taxonomique des fourmis, suggère que les venins de fourmis constituent un nouveau champ d’exploration prometteur pour la recherche de molécules thérapeutiques et insecticides. Les venins de fourmis s’ajoutent à la chimiothèque conséquente déjà représentée par les venins des autres animaux venimeux.
Venoms are sophisticated weapons employed by venomous organisms to ward off predators, as well as to subdue and kill prey. However, in nature, good is never far from bad and venom toxins may prove to be efficient therapeutic agents. Ant venom peptides were investigated in the course of this thesis to evaluate their potential in the discovery of novel drugs. Like other insect venoms, ant venoms remain understudied, mainly due to the small size of individual ants and, so, the limited a mount of venom available. The ecological diversity of ants has largely contributed to venom diversification. By studying the venom peptidomes from 82 ant species, we have revealed the great structural diversity of the toxins. Although the majority of the peptidomes are comprised of small and linear peptides, peptides structured by disulfide bonds were also brought to light in numerous venoms and constitute novel structural classes of toxins. The purification of some of these disulfided peptides permitted their biochemical characterization and the assessment oft heir biological functions. The enormous peptide diversity revealed among venoms combined with the great ecological and taxonomical diversity of ants suggests that ant venoms constitute a promising new source in the search for both novel drugs and insecticides. Ant venom augments the vast bioactive molecules library represented by venoms from other venomous animals.

http://www.theses.fr/2015AGUY0829/document