The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Global traffic and disease vector dispersal

Global traffic and disease vector dispersal
Global traffic and disease vector dispersal
The expansion of global air travel and seaborne trade overcomes geographic barriers to insect disease vectors, enabling them to move great distances in short periods of time. Here we apply a coupled human-environment framework to describe the historical spread of Aedes albopictus, a competent mosquito vector of 22 arboviruses in the laboratory. We contrast this dispersal with the relatively unchanged distribution of Anopheles gambiae and examine possible future movements of this malaria vector. We use a comprehensive database of international ship and aircraft traffic movements, combined with climatic information, to remap the global transportation network in terms of disease vector suitability and accessibility. The expansion of the range of Ae. albopictus proved to be surprisingly predictable using this combination of climate and traffic data. Traffic volumes were more than twice as high on shipping routes running from the historical distribution of Ae. albopictus to ports where it has established in comparison with routes to climatically similar ports where it has yet to invade. In contrast, An. gambiae has rarely spread from Africa, which we suggest is partly due to the low volume of sea traffic from the continent and, until very recently, a European destination for most flights.
aedes albopictus, air travel, anopheles gambiae, biological invasion, shipping
0027-8424
6242-6247
Tatem, Andrew J.
6c6de104-a5f9-46e0-bb93-a1a7c980513e
Hay, Simon I.
471d3ae4-a3c1-4d29-93e3-a90d44471b00
Rogers, David J.
47ca39ea-1b49-4961-873a-2be50513b412
Tatem, Andrew J.
6c6de104-a5f9-46e0-bb93-a1a7c980513e
Hay, Simon I.
471d3ae4-a3c1-4d29-93e3-a90d44471b00
Rogers, David J.
47ca39ea-1b49-4961-873a-2be50513b412

Tatem, Andrew J., Hay, Simon I. and Rogers, David J. (2006) Global traffic and disease vector dispersal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103 (16), 6242-6247. (doi:10.1073/pnas.0508391103). (PMID:16606847)

Record type: Article

Abstract

The expansion of global air travel and seaborne trade overcomes geographic barriers to insect disease vectors, enabling them to move great distances in short periods of time. Here we apply a coupled human-environment framework to describe the historical spread of Aedes albopictus, a competent mosquito vector of 22 arboviruses in the laboratory. We contrast this dispersal with the relatively unchanged distribution of Anopheles gambiae and examine possible future movements of this malaria vector. We use a comprehensive database of international ship and aircraft traffic movements, combined with climatic information, to remap the global transportation network in terms of disease vector suitability and accessibility. The expansion of the range of Ae. albopictus proved to be surprisingly predictable using this combination of climate and traffic data. Traffic volumes were more than twice as high on shipping routes running from the historical distribution of Ae. albopictus to ports where it has established in comparison with routes to climatically similar ports where it has yet to invade. In contrast, An. gambiae has rarely spread from Africa, which we suggest is partly due to the low volume of sea traffic from the continent and, until very recently, a European destination for most flights.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 18 April 2006
Keywords: aedes albopictus, air travel, anopheles gambiae, biological invasion, shipping
Organisations: Geography & Environment, PHEW – P (Population Health)

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 344466
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/344466
ISSN: 0027-8424
PURE UUID: d323ae20-0f16-4caa-b8b8-166c2d810736
ORCID for Andrew J. Tatem: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7270-941X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 25 Oct 2012 08:39
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:43

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Andrew J. Tatem ORCID iD
Author: Simon I. Hay
Author: David J. Rogers

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×