Lecture Notes on Vector-Borne Diseases and Transmission

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about disease transmission, vector-borne diseases, and related topics.

Vector-borne Diseases

Diseases transmitted through vectors, such as insects, ticks, or other invertebrates.

Horizontal Transmission

Transmission of a disease from one individual to another (e.g., polio, influenza, typhoid) through infected air, water, food, contact, or vectors.

Vertical Transmission

Transmission of a disease from parent to offspring (e.g., HTLV, HIV, CMV, rubella, hepatitis B virus).

Zoonoses

Infectious diseases that are spread between animals and people.

Arthropod-borne pathogens

Pathogens transmitted by arthropods like insects and acarids (ticks and mites).

Hematophagy

The practice of blood feeding, common in arthropods that transmit diseases.

Lyme Disease

A tick-borne illness caused by Borrelia burgdorferi.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

A tick-borne illness caused by Rickettsia rickettsii.

Elephantiasis

Also known as Lymphatic filariasis. A disease caused by filarial worms like Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi, often vectored by mosquitoes.

River Blindness

Also known as Onchocerciasis. A disease caused by Onchocerca volvulus, transmitted by blackflies.

Loiasis

An infection caused by the filarial worm Loa loa, transmitted by tabanid flies (Chrysops).

R0 (Basic Reproduction Ratio)

The average number of secondary cases generated by a primary case in a fully susceptible population.

EIR (Entomological Infection Rate)

A metric expressing the number of bites from sporozoite-positive mosquitoes per person per year.

Anopheles

Genus of mosquito responsible for transmitting malaria.

Ivermectin

A treatment for parasitic worm infections; it works by making nerve and muscle cells more permeable to chloride ions, resulting in paralysis and death of the worms.

Diethylcarbamazine

A treatment for parasitic worm infections; it makes microfilariae more susceptible to innate immune attack but does not kill the parasites outright.

Transmission Blocking Vaccine

Vaccine that prevents the spread of a disease by preventing transmission of a parasite or virus to the mosquito, rather than directly benefiting the individual.

Aedes aegypti

A species of mosquito known for spreading viruses such as Zika, Dengue, and Yellow Fever.

Tick Vector

Ticks that transmit diseases, including the Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis), Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum), and Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes scapularis).