Human Diseases Associated With Vectors (Arthropods in Disease Transmission)

Abstract Vector-borne diseases remain one of the most important threats to global health. After the success of vector eradication campaigns, the complacency and, in many cases, the dismantling of vector-control infrastructures have led to a resurgence of many vector-borne diseases. Moreover, factors such as insecticide resistance, increased human migration, environmental change, and expansion in global trading have contributed to the expansion of the geographic range of many disease vectors once thought to be under control. The risk for emergent or re-emergent vector-borne disease epidemics is greater now than it has been in nearly half a century. Despite great resources being poured in to control vectors, either with the development of insecticides or other strategies for vector population control, vector-borne diseases are common and often misdiagnosed, particularly in developed countries where such diseases are thought not to occur. This review highlights several aspects of the biology of vector-borne human diseases, with the identification of some of the major pathogens and the associated diseases that are transmitted by the principal vectors, including mosquitoes, ticks, sand flies, and others.