MIVEGEC

MiVEGEC

In Europe, as in developing countries, and despite considerable recent progress, infectious diseases remain a major challenge to public health. Furthermore changes in the environment (climate, society, etc...) are leading to the emergence of new pathogens.

The MIVEGEC is a new research group studying the ecology, genetics, evolution and control of infectious diseases and vectors. Its members come from the University of Montpellier, the IRD and the CNRS. With strengths in research, expert evalution and teaching, the group's mission is to take an integrative approach to understanding the reproduction and transmission of infectious organisms, so as to improve the means of their control.

The group is interested in the strategies and mechanisms, particularly genetic, involved in the evolution and adaptation of pathogens and the relationships among hosts-vectors-pathogens. Our research spans several levels, including :

• the ecosystem, including physical, biological and socio-economic parameters,
• populations of hosts (vertebrate or invertebrate) and their pathogens (viral, bacterial, parasitic), with their phenotyic, genotypic, evolutionary characters and life-history traits,
• individual pathogens (their genetics and cellular biology), and
• genomic relationships involved in different relationships.

The MIVEGEC is comprised of more than 90 full-time scientists, originating from different institutions and geographic regions, working in 10 complementary groups involved in both national and international research programs in each continent. Members also provide expert evaluations for numerous institutions and are strongly involved in training and teaching.

The groups' activities are directly involved in :

• the Montpellier research center on infection, MIVEGEC represents nearly 20% of the 500 scientists working in this center of excellence.
• the research institutes CNRS INEE (Institute of Ecology and the Environment) and INSB (Institute of Biological Sciences), a large part of the research conducted by the MIVEGEC is at the interface of biology, health and the environment.
• the IRD, in the framework of its research, evalution and education.
• the Universities of Montpellier (I and II), in the context of its research and teaching.
• the research network RTRS (Réseau Thématique de Recherche et de Soins) of the Fondation Infectiopole Sud of which MIVEGEC is an active member.
• the IMMI (Institute of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) and its role in the national alliance of the life and health sciences.

With its research programs in each continent, the MIVEGEC is implicated in a large number of collaborative projects :