Emerging infectious diseases and the depopulation of French Polynesia in the 19th century.

9. Johnson DW, Pieniazek NJ, Griffin DW, Misener L, Rose JB. Development of a PCR protocol for sensitive detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water specimens. Appl Env Microbiol 1995;61:3849-55. tuberculosis (TB) were probably unknown. Epidemic diarrhea and dysenteriae could have existed, although first reports mentioned that the oldest Polynesians “never heard of dysenteriae before” (5). In the Marquesian language, names exist for leprosy, bronchitis, abscesses, and impetigo. The number of inhabitants in Tahiti, as well as in the Marquesas and the Austral Archipelago, was at first only estimated by European explorers. However, a precise census was performed as soon as missionaries and French authorities noted the high death rates in most of the islands (5,7,15,16). Tahiti was annexed by France in 1843; the first census was performed in 1848, and the population size was assessed approximately every 5 years until 1911. Four major epidemic diseases (TB, typhoid, influenza, and smallpox) devastated the Marquesas from 1791 to 1863/64; approximately 80% of the population died. During that period, exchange of populations between the Marquesas Islands also increased, as a consequence of colonization. Thus, leprosy increased dramatically during the second half of the 19th century, to a prevalence of 4.11% in 1884 (6). In Rapa, the remote, southern island of the Austral Archipelago, at least three epidemics were reported, resulting in the loss of more than 90% of the population. Although the cause of the first epidemic remained unknown, dysenteriae and smallpox were identified as causes of the second and third epidemics, respectively. From Rapa, a missionary went to Mangareva in 1831 or 1832, and his visit there was followed by an epidemic that the natives attributed “to his god.” He had to flee back to Rapa. The second recorded epidemic disease was “Chinese scabies” in 1865, which decimated the child population. Then, the warship “La Zélée” brought an epidemic of influenza in 1908. In 1910, TB and leprosy were reported “to spread rapidly” (7), and in 1911, the ship “La Gauloise” brought whooping cough to Mangareva. In Tahiti and the Society Islands, the number and diversity of international and interisland exchanges, involving numerous commercial ships and whalers, make the origin of epidemics more difficult to trace. Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Depopulation of French Polynesia in the 19th Century