List of diseases caused by insects

Invertebrates are very common vectors of disease. A vector is an organism which spreads disease from one host to another. Invertebrates spread bacterial, viral and protozoan pathogens by two main mechanisms. Either via their bite, as in the case of malaria spread by mosquitoes, or via their faeces, as in the case of Chagas' Disease spread by Triatoma bugs or epidemic typhus spread by human body lice.

Many invertebrates are responsible for transmitting diseases. Mosquitoes are perhaps the best known invertebrate vector and transmit a wide range of tropical diseases including malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever. Another large group of vectors are flies. Sandfly species transmit the disease leishmaniasis, by acting as vectors for protozoan Leishmania species, and tsetse flies transmit protozoan trypansomes (Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypansoma brucei rhodesiense) which cause African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). Ticks and lice form another large group of invertebrate vectors. The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme Disease, is transmitted by ticks and members of the bacterial genus Rickettsia are transmitted by lice. For example, the human body louse transmits the bacterium Rickettsia prowazekii which causes epidemic typhus.

Although invertebrate-transmitted diseases pose a particular threat on the continents of Africa, Asia and South America, there is one way of controlling invertebrate-borne diseases, which is by controlling the invertebrate vector. For example, one way of controlling malaria is to control the mosquito vector through the use of mosquito nets, which prevent mosquitoes from coming into contact with humans.

This is a list of diseases spread by invertebrates.

Diseases

Disease Vector Causative organism Host Symptoms Area Treatment
African horse sicknessCulicoid midgeOrbivirus (virus)EquidsFever, lung, heart or mucous membrane symptoms.Europe, AfricaVaccination
BabesiosisTickBabesia (protozoan)Human, cattleFever then red urineSouth Europe and AfricaAntibiotics
Bluetongue diseaseCulicoid midgeOrbivirus (virus)Cattle, sheepFever, salivation, swelling of face and tongueEurope, AfricaVaccination
Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis)Various assassin bugs of subfamily TriatominaeTrypanosoma cruzi (protozoan)Mild symptoms, then chronic heart or brain inflammationCentral and South AmericaAntiparasitic drugs; treatment of symptoms
Dengue feverMosquitoFlavivirus (virus)Fever then arthritis(Sub) tropics and South EuropeObservation/supportive treatment
Tick-borne encephalitisTickTick-borne encephalitis virusIll with flu then meningitisCentral and North Europeprevention and vaccination
Heartland virus diseaseTickHeartland virusFever, lethargy, headache, myalgia, diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, anorexia, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, arthralgiaMissouri and Tennessee, USASupportive treatment
LeishmaniasisSandflyLeishmania (protozoan)Fever, damage to the spleen and liver, and anaemiaSouth hemisphere and Mediterranean CountriesTreatment of infected
Lyme diseaseTickBorrelia burgdorferi (bacterium)Deer, humanBull's-eye pattern skin rash around bite, fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, joint pain. Sometimes neurological problems.[1]Europe, North Africa, and North AmericaPrevention and antibiotics
MalariaMosquitoPlasmodium (protist)HumanHeadache then heavy fever(Sub) tropicsPrevention and anti-malaria
PlagueFleaRats, HumanPrevention and Antibiotics
Pogosta disease
Synonyms:
Karelian fever
Ockelbo disease
Sindbis fever
MosquitoSindbis virusSkin rash, fever, in severe cases - arthritisScandinavia, France, Russia unknown
Rickettsial diseases:
Typhus
rickettsialpox
Boutonneuse fever
African tick bite fever
Rocky Mountain spotted fever etc.
Tick, liceRickettsia species (bacteria)Fever with bleeding around the biteGlobalPrevention and antibiotics
African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)Tsetse flyTrypanosoma brucei (protozoan)Wild mammals, cattle, humanFever, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, sleep disturbancesSub-Saharan AfricaVarious drugs
FilariasisMosquitoWuchereria bancroftihumanFever, swelling of limbs Africa, Asia. Various drugs
West Nile diseaseMosquitoWest Nile virusBirds, humanFever, headaches, skin rash, body aches. Africa, Asia, North America,South and East EuropeNone

See also

References

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