Session Report: Inaugural guest for the Pasteur English Immersion Club (PEIC), Dr. Sebastien Boyer

On February 29th, 2024, the Pasteur English Immersion Club (PEIC) hosted its inaugural special guest, Dr. Sebastien Boyer, Head of the Medical and Veterinary Entomology Unit at the Institut Pasteur in Cambodia. 

During the session, Dr. Boyer first gave a quick background on his work in France, China, and Cambodia, and then subsequently delved into his presentation on Japanese encephalitis (JEV) and vectors, particularly in Cambodia. He discussed the various blood-feeding patterns/preferences of mosquito vectors, the wide diversity of mosquito vector species, and the differences in their virus transmission rates. After Dr. Boyers's presentation, participants had the opportunity to ask questions; topics such as mosquito recognition of kairomones/CO2 levels in animals and suspected mosquito vectors were discussed at length.

Dr. Boyer ended the session with a call to action for the students, stressing the fact that 30-40% of JEV cases in Southeast Asia have unknown causes and that there is still much work to be done for researching the virus.

We would like to thank Dr. Boyer for his participation as a guest speaker and for his wonderful energy in kicking off the new format of our sessions. We hope to invite him back in the future!

Stay tuned for news and updates regarding the upcoming March session as they will be posted on the FPJ website soon!

Also, if you are interested in watching the full session, please click the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/xgpkdnkh5hg01g4l7anva/h?rlkey=1zklz3xshq2wovtumjttwsuxu&dl=0

More information about the PEIC can be found here: https://pasteur-japan.net/pasteur-english-immersion-club-register-now/