The Biology of disease vectors

This title focuses on the molecular and populational aspects of the insects (mosquitoes, midges, black flies, etc.) and acarines (ticks and mites) that serve as transmitters (vectors) of disease agents and is designed to stimulate further studies worldwide. Vector-borne diseases continue to be among the most intractable infectious diseases for both humans and livestock, despite a hundred years of research and control efforts. Of the six diseases considered by the World Health Organisation to be the greatest threat to human health, only one is not vector-borne. Progress in alleviating their harmful effects is likely to come through fundamental studies utilising molecular techniques and epidemiological methods that have been developed over the past fifteen years. These methods are discussed in the book. The forty contributors to this volume are leading, active investigators in vectors and the disease agents they transmit.