The influence of vector‐borne disease on human history: socio‐ecological mechanisms

Abstract

Vector‐borne diseases (VBDs) are embedded within complex socio‐ecological systems. While research has traditionally focused on the direct effects of VBDs on human morbidity and mortality, it is increasingly clear that their impacts are much more pervasive. VBDs are dynamically linked to feedbacks between environmental conditions, vector ecology, disease burden, and societal responses that drive transmission. As a result, VBDs have had profound influence on human history. Mechanisms include: (1) killing or debilitating large numbers of people, with demographic and population‐level impacts; (2) differentially affecting populations based on prior history of disease exposure, immunity, and resistance; (3) being weaponised to promote or justify hierarchies of power, colonialism, racism, classism and sexism; (4) catalysing changes in ideas, institutions, infrastructure, technologies and social practices in efforts to control disease outbreaks; and (5) changing human relationships with the land and environment. We use historical and archaeological evidence interpreted through an ecological lens to illustrate how VBDs have shaped society and culture, focusing on case studies from four pertinent VBDs: plague, malaria, yellow fever and trypanosomiasis. By comparing across diseases, time periods and geographies, we highlight the enormous scope and variety of mechanisms by which VBDs have influenced human history.

SARS-CoV-2, los murciélagos no son los responsables

“…Una pequeña colonia de 150 murciélagos consume suficientes escarabajos del pepino, con lo que se impide el nacimiento de hasta 18 millones de sus larvas. Otros murciélagos se alimentan de mosquitos, y nos libran de graves enfermedades que transmiten estos insectos, como dengue, chicungunya, zika, paludismo, entre otras (Athni et al, 2021), algunos murciélagos pueden comer casi mil mosquitos cada hora. Además, el guano de todos estos murciélagos insectívoros es un excelente fertilizante natural (Wilson, 2002).…”

“…Nuestros actuales sistemas intensivos de producción ganadera, así como la invasión y destrucción de áreas naturales y el tráfico con la vida silvestre, nos exponen a que los patógenos encuentren nuevos huéspedes para diseminarse, reproducirse, adaptarse, y finalmente infectar a los humanos (Diamond, 2002;Jones et al, 2008;Jones et al, 2013;Athni et al, 2021;Galindo-González & Medellín, 2021).…”

Robust network stability of mosquitoes and human pathogens of medical importance

“…Mosquitoes are one of the main animal agents of human infectious disease, and the pathogens they transmit have likely been a selective force for human evolution (e.g., sickle cell disease [ 1 ]) and have also had profound political and historical effects [ 2 ]. With few exceptions, humans across the globe are susceptible to a wide range of pathogens that are carried by adult mosquitoes, including debilitating and sometimes fatal diseases like malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile encephalitis.…”

Human infections with neglected vector-borne pathogens in China: A systematic review

“…12 , 13 , 14 , 15 Over the past three decades, the changing distribution and increased incidence of VBD driven by socio-economic, environmental and ecological factors, has created new challenges for public health. 16 , 17 , 18 The spread of Lyme and emergence of other tick-borne diseases (TBD), 19 the reemergence of many mosquito-borne illnesses including malaria and dengue fever that had been controlled in many areas in Asia and the Americas, 20 , 21 the resurge of chikungunya virus disease in Asia and Africa, 22 , 23 the discovery of novel TBDs, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, all have caused considerable economic, ecological, and public health impacts. 24 , 25 Particularly in countries where VBDs are most prevalent yet neglected, limited knowledge on these diseases had hindered the diagnosis and control efforts to be taken.…”