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Microorganisms
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Advances in Vector-Borne Diseases
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Advances in Vector-Borne Diseases

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Public Health Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 4164

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Merle Margarete Böhmer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL), Lazarettstrasse 67, 80636 Munich, Germany
2. Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
Interests: infectious disease epidemiology; vector-borne diseases; vaccine-preventable diseases; Borna virus disease; tick-borne encephalitis; hantavirus infections; Lyme borreliosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vector-borne diseases (such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever, malaria, leishmaniosis, Chagas disease, sleeping sickness, bubonic plague, Rift Valley fever, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile fever, louse-borne relapsing fever, sand fly fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Lyme borreliosis, tularaemia, tick-borne encephalitis) are caused by either viruses, bacteria, or parasites that are transmitted to humans via vectors—mostly bloodsucking arthropods. According to the WHO, the proportion of vector-borne diseases of all infectious diseases is 17%. Every year, 700,000 deaths worldwide are attributable to vector-borne diseases. Vector-borne diseases thus pose a substantial challenge to public health.

In recent decades, we have witnessed the emergence and reemergence of several vector-borne diseases, and in the face of ongoing climate change, a further spread is expected. Increases in globalisation, intensified tourism, international trade, animal transport, land use change and bird migration additionally contribute to this—with regard to both the spread of vector-borne pathogens and suitable vectors. Many vector-borne diseases can lead to severe, sometimes fatal, acute clinical pictures, chronic courses of disease, life-long morbidity, disability and occasionally stigmatisation.

At the same time, there is a high potential for the prevention of vector-borne diseases. Many cases could be prevented through the effective use of personal protection measures, community mobilisation, vaccination (if available) or vector control.

In order to develop effective prevention strategies, it is crucial to thoroughly assess the epidemiological situation of vector-borne diseases, investigate developments in disease and vector occurrence, gain further knowledge about the respective diseases (e.g., regarding clinical manifestations and risk factors) and determine the effectiveness of preventive measures (e.g., regarding health education/information or vaccination campaigns and vector control).

For this purpose, we invite authors to submit original research articles, review articles, and short communications related to various aspects of vector-borne diseases, especially with regard to epidemiology, surveillance, diagnostics, therapy, and prevention.

Dr. Merle Margarete Böhmer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vector-borne diseases
  • ticks
  • mosquitos
  • diagnostics
  • surveillance
  • epidemiology

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 4218 KiB  
Article
First Report of Anopheles annularis s.l., An. maculatus s.s., and An. culicifacies s.l. as Malaria Vectors and a New Occurrence Record for An. pseudowillmori and An. sawadwongporni in Alipurduar District Villages, West Bengal, India
by Jadab Rajkonwar, Varun Shende, Ananta Kumar Maji, Apoorva Pandey, Puran K. Sharma, Kasinathan Gunasekaran, Sarala K. Subbarao, Dibya Ranjan Bhattacharyya, Kamaraju Raghavendra, Rocky Pebam, Vijay Mayakrishnan, Phiroz Gogoi, Susmita Senapati, Pallabi Sarkar, Saurav Biswas, Daniel Debbarma, Tulika Nirmolia, Sasmita Rani Jena, Bahniman Bayan, Pinki Talukder, Ashwarya Kumari Sihag, Himadri Sankar Bharali, Anisha Verma, Kongkon Mahanta, Gonsalo Sumer, Ranjan Karmakar, Saurav Jyoti Patgiri, Supriya Chaudhuri, Sumit Ganguli, Harpreet Kaur, Tapas K. Bhattacharyya, Pyare Laal Joshi, Bidhan Goswami, Kalpana Baruah, Sanghamitra Pati, Kanwar Narain and Ipsita Pal Bhowmickadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Microorganisms 2024, 12(1), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12010095 - 03 Jan 2024
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Abstract
A comprehensive entomological survey was undertaken in Alipurduar District, West Bengal, from 2018 to 2020 and in 2022. This study was prompted by reported malaria cases and conducted across nine villages, seven Sub-Centres, and three Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Mosquitoes were hand-collected with [...] Read more.
A comprehensive entomological survey was undertaken in Alipurduar District, West Bengal, from 2018 to 2020 and in 2022. This study was prompted by reported malaria cases and conducted across nine villages, seven Sub-Centres, and three Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Mosquitoes were hand-collected with aspirators and flashlights from human dwellings and cattle sheds during the daytime. Both morphological and molecular techniques were used for species identification. Additionally, mosquitoes were tested for Plasmodium parasites and human blood presence. Mosquito species such as An. barbirostris s.l., An. hyrcanus s.l., An. splendidus, and An. vagus were morphologically identified. For species like An. annularis s.l., An. minimus s.s., An. culicifacies s.l., and An. maculatus s.s., a combination of morphological and molecular techniques was essential. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene subunit 1 (CO1) was sequenced for An. annularis s.l., An. maculatus s.s., An. culicifacies s.l., An. vagus, and some damaged samples, revealing the presence of An. pseudowillmori and An. fluviatilis. The major Anopheles species were An. annularis s.l., An. culicifacies s.l., and An. maculatus s.s., especially in Kumargram and Turturi PHCs. Plasmodium positivity was notably high in An. annularis s.l. and An. maculatus s.s. with significant human blood meal positivity across most species. Morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses are crucial, especially for archived samples, to accurately identify the mosquito fauna of a region. Notably, this study confirms the first occurrence of An. pseudowillmori and An. sawadwongporni in West Bengal and implicates An. maculatus s.s., An. culicifacies s.l., and An. annularis s.l. as significant vectors in the Alipurduar region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Vector-Borne Diseases)
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13 pages, 1425 KiB  
Article
Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors regarding Tick-Borne Encephalitis Vaccination and Prevention of Tick-Borne Diseases among Primary Care Physicians in Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, May–September 2022
by Liza Coyer, Aylin Sogan-Ekinci, Benedikt Greutélaers, Julia Kuhn, Franziska S. Saller, Jana Hailer, Stefanie Böhm, Rainer Brosch, Christiane Wagner-Wiening and Merle M. Böhmer
Microorganisms 2023, 11(4), 961; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11040961 - 07 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1783
Abstract
In 2020, a record number of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) cases was reported in major endemic areas in Germany, i.e., the southern federal states of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria. Most cases were unvaccinated. Other tick-borne diseases (TBDs), including Lyme borreliosis and tularemia, are rising, too. [...] Read more.
In 2020, a record number of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) cases was reported in major endemic areas in Germany, i.e., the southern federal states of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria. Most cases were unvaccinated. Other tick-borne diseases (TBDs), including Lyme borreliosis and tularemia, are rising, too. Thus, strategies are needed to increase TBE vaccination uptake in risk areas and promote education on TBD prevention. Primary care physicians are key providers of both vaccinations and TBD education. The TBD-Prevention (TBD-Prev) study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of primary care physicians in Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria with regard to TBE vaccination and prevention of TBDs and to derive strategies for increasing vaccination rates and improving knowledge about TBE and other TBDs in the population and among primary care physicians. We invited all primary care physicians (N = 14,046) in both states to participate by mail. Using standardized, self-administered questionnaires, available both on paper and online, we asked physicians anonymously about their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors with respect to TBE vaccination and TBD prevention and their need for further information/educational materials. A total of 2321 physicians participated between May and September 2022 (response rate 17%), of whom 1222 (53%) worked in Baden-Wuerttemberg and 1067 (46%) in Bavaria. Among the participating physicians, 56% were male, 71% were >50 years and 51% worked in an individual practice. Furthermore, 91% were aware of the German national vaccination guidelines, and 98% perceived their knowledge of the risks and benefits of vaccination as adequate. A total of 97% offer TBE vaccinations, 67% provide vaccination counselling during initial consultations with new patients and 64% actively remind patients about due vaccinations. In addition, 24% expressed a need for further information materials, mainly traditional, analogue media such as flyers (82%) and posters (50%), and named timeliness, quality assurance, easy comprehensibility and independence from the pharmaceutical industry as the most important characteristics of such materials. Almost all participating physicians reported offering TBE vaccinations and feeling well-informed about TBE vaccination and TBDs. However, active offering of vaccinations and education could be further improved, and additional, low-threshold information materials are needed. Based on these results, we will develop and provide various materials on TBE vaccination and TBDs, in particular flyers and posters, for use by physicians during consultations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Vector-Borne Diseases)
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