The Natural Disappearance of Malaria in Certain Regions of Europe*

Hackett, Loren; Missiroli, A.

doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117124

Cited by 20 publications

(28 citation statements)

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“…In this sense the ''dilutioneffect'', i.e., the decrease in disease risk as function of increased diversity (Celli 1908, Keesing et al 2010 can be studied in relation to the diversity of vector communities. While ''dilution-effect'' patterns have been primarily described as a function of vertebrate host diversity (Schmidt and Ostfeld 2001) and its best mechanistic articulation, zooprophylaxis [the diversion of bites from a focal host species by the presence of alternative host species (Sota and Mogi 1989)] was proposed more than a century ago (Celli 1908, Hackett andMissiroli 1931) little to no attention has been given to the impacts that vector diversity could have on shaping the risk of vector-borne disease transmission (Graham et al 2009.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatic variability and landscape heterogeneity impact urban mosquito diversity and vector abundance and infection

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Urban habitat heterogeneity can modify interactions across species and lead to spatially fine grained differences in b-diversity patterns and their associated ecosystem services. Here, we study the impacts of landscape heterogeneity and climatic variability on: (1) the richness and diversity patterns of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and (2) the abundance and West Nile virus infection rate of the house mosquito, Culex pipiens, in Chicago, USA. We conducted a four year long study (2005)(2006)(2007)(2008) in 8 sites that captured a gradient of urban heterogeneities. We found a total of 19 mosquito species, a representative sample of mosquito species richness in the area, according to both model estimation (Chao2 6 S.E. ¼ 20.50 6 2.29) and faunal records for Chicago. We found that heterogeneity in the landscape was the best predictor of both mosquito species richness and diversity, with the most heterogeneous landscapes harboring the largest number of species. In general there were no changes in species richness over the years that could be associated with weather patterns and climatic variability (WPCV). In contrast, changes in diversity were associated with WPCV. Our results also showed that WPCV had major impacts on house mosquito abundance and West Nile virus mosquito infection rate (MIR) patterns. Although MIR was independent of mosquito diversity, it was associated with overall mosquito abundance, which had a convex association with species richness (i.e., abundance increases to a point after which it decreases as function of species richness). Finally, our results highlight the importance of considering dominant vector species as part of a community of vectors, whose biodiversity patterns can directly or indirectly impact the risk of infectious disease transmission.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatic variability and landscape heterogeneity impact urban mosquito diversity and vector abundance and infection

et al. 2011

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“…Fifth, little is known about the presence of malaria. If widespread (as in Italy until the middle of the 20th century), this disease can have a significant impact on secular variation in mortality and can drastically reduce the average life span (Hackett 1937;Bruce-Chwatt and de Zulueta 1980). Several historical sources describe the spread of malaria in the Roman countryside and, more generally, in Italy between the Roman Era and the Middle Ages (Cloudsley-Thompson 1976;McCormick 2001;Sallares 2002;Frassine 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another school of thought on the secular trends in malaria in Italy suggests that during the Early Middle Ages the incidence of marsh fever was lower than in either the Late Roman Empire or the High Middle Ages (Celli 1900(Celli , 1925Hackett 1937). In spite of the expansion of marshes, proportionately fewer people were at risk, precisely because that expansion and the consequent spread of malarial areas discouraged commerce and mobility.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population Dynamics in Italy in the Middle Ages: New Insights from Archaeological Findings

Barbiera

Dalla‐Zuanna

2009

Population & Development Rev

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Studies of settlements in Italy indicate that during the Early Middle Ages (6th-9th centuries) the Italian population was stagnant, whereas a slow but persistent growth followed during the High Middle Ages (10th-13th). However, the components of the dynamics of the Italian population in the long period between the Justinian Plague (around 565 in Italy) and the Black Death (1348) are largely unknown. In this article, data from anthropometric analysis of the skeletons in 154 Italian cemeteries that date between the 1st century BCE and the 13th century are used to gain new insights on mortality of adults and nutrition. Adult mortality was higher during the Early Middle Ages than during the Roman Empire and the High Middle Ages, suggesting that the stagnation of population was determined by higher mortality. During the Early Middle Ages, however, nutritional levels were higher, as suggested by taller statures, more widespread meat consumption, and longer periods of breastfeeding. We discuss some possible research lines to resolve this apparent contradiction. Copyright (c) 2009 The Population Council, Inc..

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“…Hackett studied the natural disappearance of malaria from parts of Europe by comparing areas that still had malaria with those that did not. He found that areas without malaria had vector populations that tended to feed on cattle but not on humans, and he concluded that the populations had evolved [58]. Other large effects on transmission can arise because of underlying demographical changes in human populations.…”

Section: Is Elimination Stable Because Successful Countries Are Unusual?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the second half of the nineteenth century, malaria started to decline in the United Kingdom [61], parts of mainland Europe [58], and the United States [62], and continued until malaria was eliminated. More recently, malaria transmission and endemicity have sharply declined in some areas of India [63], Mexico [18] and in some African cities [60].…”

Section: Is Elimination Stable Because Successful Countries Are Unusual?mentioning

confidence: 99%

A sticky situation: the unexpected stability of malaria elimination

Smith

Cohen

Chiyaka

et al. 2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Malaria eradication involves eliminating malaria from every country where transmission occurs. Current theory suggests that the post-elimination challenges of remaining malaria-free by stopping transmission from imported malaria will have onerous operational and financial requirements. Although resurgent malaria has occurred in a majority of countries that tried but failed to eliminate malaria, a review of resurgence in countries that successfully eliminated finds only four such failures out of 50 successful programmes. Data documenting malaria importation and onwards transmission in these countries suggests malaria transmission potential has declined by more than 50-fold (i.e. more than 98%) since before elimination. These outcomes suggest that elimination is a surprisingly stable state. Elimination's ‘stickiness’ must be explained either by eliminating countries starting off qualitatively different from non-eliminating countries or becoming different once elimination was achieved. Countries that successfully eliminated were wealthier and had lower baseline endemicity than those that were unsuccessful, but our analysis shows that those same variables were at best incomplete predictors of the patterns of resurgence. Stability is reinforced by the loss of immunity to disease and by the health system's increasing capacity to control malaria transmission after elimination through routine treatment of cases with antimalarial drugs supplemented by malaria outbreak control. Human travel patterns reinforce these patterns; as malaria recedes, fewer people carry malaria from remote endemic areas to remote areas where transmission potential remains high. Establishment of an international resource with backup capacity to control large outbreaks can make elimination stickier, increase the incentives for countries to eliminate, and ensure steady progress towards global eradication. Although available evidence supports malaria elimination's stickiness at moderate-to-low transmission in areas with well-developed health systems, it is not yet clear if such patterns will hold in all areas. The sticky endpoint changes the projected costs of maintaining elimination and makes it substantially more attractive for countries acting alone, and it makes spatially progressive elimination a sensible strategy for a malaria eradication endgame.

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The Natural Disappearance of Malaria in Certain Regions of Europe*

Cited by 20 publications

References 0 publications

Climatic variability and landscape heterogeneity impact urban mosquito diversity and vector abundance and infection

Climatic variability and landscape heterogeneity impact urban mosquito diversity and vector abundance and infection

Population Dynamics in Italy in the Middle Ages: New Insights from Archaeological Findings

A sticky situation: the unexpected stability of malaria elimination

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