Vektorübertragungen

Vektorübertragungen, also known as vector transmission, is a method of disease spread where an infectious agent is transferred from one host to another through a living organism, typically an arthropod. These arthropods, known as vectors, are often insects like mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, or flies, but can also include other invertebrates. The vector itself does not cause the disease but acts as a carrier, picking up the pathogen from an infected host and then transmitting it to a susceptible host during activities such as feeding or biting.

There are two main types of vector transmission: mechanical and biological. Mechanical transmission occurs when a pathogen adheres to the external body parts of a vector, such as the legs of a fly, and is then physically transferred to a new host, often through contact with food or wounds. Biological transmission, on the other hand, involves the pathogen undergoing some form of development or multiplication within the vector before being transmitted. This can happen in several ways, including through the vector's saliva during a bite (salivarian transmission), through its feces which are then inoculated into a wound (fecal-oral transmission), or by the vector being ingested by the host.

Examples of diseases transmitted by vectors include malaria, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, Lyme disease, carried by ticks, and plague, spread by fleas. Control of vector-borne diseases often focuses on managing or eliminating the vector populations through measures such as insecticide application, habitat modification, and public health campaigns aimed at preventing vector bites.