Wilson Anthony James, Morgan Eric René, Booth Mark, Norman Rachel, Perkins Sarah Elizabeth, Hauffe Heidi Christine, Mideo Nicole, Antonovics Janis, McCallum Hamish, Fenton Andy
Vector-borne Viral Diseases Programme, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking GU24 0NF, UK
School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2017 May 5;372(1719). doi: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0085.
Many important and rapidly emerging pathogens of humans, livestock and wildlife are 'vector-borne'. However, the term 'vector' has been applied to diverse agents in a broad range of epidemiological systems. In this perspective, we briefly review some common definitions, identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and consider the functional differences between vectors and other hosts from a range of ecological, evolutionary and public health perspectives. We then consider how the use of designations can afford insights into our understanding of epidemiological and evolutionary processes that are not otherwise apparent. We conclude that from a medical and veterinary perspective, a combination of the 'haematophagous arthropod' and 'mobility' definitions is most useful because it offers important insights into contact structure and control and emphasizes the opportunities for pathogen shifts among taxonomically similar species with similar feeding modes and internal environments. From a population dynamics and evolutionary perspective, we suggest that a combination of the 'micropredator' and 'sequential' definition is most appropriate because it captures the key aspects of transmission biology and fitness consequences for the pathogen and vector itself. However, we explicitly recognize that the value of a definition always depends on the research question under study.This article is part of the themed issue 'Opening the black box: re-examining the ecology and evolution of parasite transmission'.
许多对人类、家畜和野生动物而言重要且迅速出现的病原体都是“媒介传播的”。然而，“媒介”一词已被应用于广泛流行病学系统中的多种媒介物。从这个角度出发，我们简要回顾一些常见定义，指出每个定义的优缺点，并从一系列生态、进化和公共卫生视角考量媒介与其他宿主之间的功能差异。接着，我们思考使用这些定义如何能让我们深入理解那些通过其他方式难以显现的流行病学和进化过程。我们得出结论，从医学和兽医学角度来看，“吸血节肢动物”和“移动性”定义的组合最为有用，因为它能为接触结构和防控提供重要见解，并强调了病原体在分类学上相似、摄食方式和内部环境相近的物种间转移的可能性。从种群动态和进化角度来看，我们认为“微捕食者”和“相继性”定义的组合最为合适，因为它抓住了传播生物学的关键方面以及对病原体和媒介自身适合度的影响。然而，我们明确认识到定义的价值始终取决于所研究的问题。本文是主题为“打开黑匣子：重新审视寄生虫传播的生态学和进化”特刊的一部分。
