Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie ed Immunomediate, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome, Italy.
Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2010;46(4):436-43. doi: 10.4415/ANN_10_04_12.
In medical entomology, "Arthropod Borne Diseases", or "Vector Borne Diseases" (VBD) are intended as a group of human and animal infections caused by different pathogen organisms (protozoa, helminths, bacteria and viruses) transmitted by the bite of a bloodsucking insect or arachnid. It is commonly known that the infectious diseases transmitted by Arthropods are mainly affecting tropical and subtropical countries, nevertheless some of them were or are still common also in the northern hemisphere, where they are usually maintained under control. VBD still represent some of the most important public health problems in the endemic areas but are becoming source of concern for developed countries too. Since the last decades of the past century, a number of VBD has been spreading geographically, being recorded for the first time in areas outside their original range. This phenomenon is strictly related to the peculiar epidemiological characteristics of these diseases, that are considered the most susceptible to climatic, environmental and socioeconomic changes. This article is a short overview of the VBD endemic and emerging in Italy. The possibility that some exotic vectors and/or pathogens could be introduced and become established in Italy is also discussed.
在医学昆虫学中，“节肢动物传播的疾病”或“媒介传播的疾病”（VBD）是指一组由不同病原体（原生动物、蠕虫、细菌和病毒）引起的人类和动物感染，这些病原体通过吸血昆虫或蛛形纲动物的叮咬传播。人们普遍认为，节肢动物传播的传染病主要影响热带和亚热带国家，但其中一些疾病在过去或现在也很常见于北半球，在那里它们通常得到控制。VBD 仍然是流行地区最重要的公共卫生问题之一，但也引起了发达国家的关注。自上世纪最后几十年以来，一些 VBD 在地理上的传播范围不断扩大，首次在其原有范围之外的地区被记录到。这种现象与这些疾病的特殊流行病学特征密切相关，这些疾病被认为最容易受到气候、环境和社会经济变化的影响。本文简要概述了意大利流行和新出现的 VBD。还讨论了一些外来媒介和/或病原体可能传入并在意大利立足的可能性。
