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Insect-Borne Disease
The war between humans and insects predates recorded history. Not only have insects played an adversarial role in human development by destroying crops and killing livestock, they are also apt vectors for viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi, which infect and cause illness in humans. Insect-borne diseases affect population rates, trade, travel, and productivity. While the true impact on the global economy is incalculable, the cost is most likely billions and billions of dollars annually. Insects are on every continent, and consequently so are the diseases they carry. The incidence rates of many insect-borne diseases have decreased due to improved public health initiatives undertaken by both governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Unfortunately, such efforts must confront the amazing adaptability of both insects and pathogens.
Transmission Cycle
The majority of insect-borne diseases are transmitted directly through a bite, which is the means by which the pathogen is transmitted to the host. However, this mode of transmission is not common to all insectborne diseases. An example of a unique mode of transmission occurs with Chagas’ disease (American trypanosomiasis), which is transmitted by the reduviid commonly called the kissing bug. The kissing bug, which likes to bite its victims while they sleep, takes its blood meal and simultaneously defecate its infected excrement. It is only after the meal is complete, and the kissing bug has left its sleeping victim, that the person feels the need to scratch the site. This scratching smears the infected insect excrement into the fresh bite wound, thus infecting the victim.
There are four necessities for successful transmission of insect-borne diseases: first, a susceptible host (i.e., no acquired immunity either by natural infection or by vaccination); second, a suitable vector (the specific species of insect); third, the proper environmental conditions (not too hot, cold, dry, or moist); and fourth, presence of the pathogen. When all four of these criteria are present, the possibility of successful disease transmission exists. Alternatively, each one of these four requirements also represents a weakness, a place where the disease transmission cycle can be broken and where public health intervention can occur to prevent disease spread.
Plague
History's most infamous insect-borne disease is plague (caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis). The bacterium is transmitted from animal to animal and then makes the leap from animal to humans via the bite of an infected rodent flea. Plague still evokes fear and panic in people living today, even though only 1,000 to 3,000 cases occur annually worldwide, with the United States claming 10 to 15 of these cases. Without proper antibiotics, plague has a mortality of 50% to 90%, but with proper diagnosis and treatment, the mortality drops to 15%.
Plague earned its notorious reputation in the mid1300s when it swept through Central Europe and caused the deaths of one third of the population over the course of a few short years. The plague spread rapidly, aided at the time by the unsanitary conditions, increasing trade and travel routes, urbanization, and a lack of knowledge about how the disease was transmitted.
Mosquito-Borne Diseases
The most notorious insect for disease spreading is the mosquito. The mosquito is a known carrier of malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, lymphatic filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, Venezuelan encephalitis, and many more diseases. The mosquito is a worthy opponent, with its diverse range of breeding grounds (saltwater marshes to abandoned car tires), its ability to develop resistance to insecticides, and its flexibility of hosts from which to take a blood meal. Additionally, increasing global temperatures have aided the mosquito in acquiring an even broader habitat.
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