Changing climate and emerging infectious diseases

Palo, Thomas; Ahlm, Clas

Dept Natural and Environmnetal Sciences, Mid-Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden

Vector-borne diseases are likely to be affected by climate change. Higher temperature will probably decrease generation time, increase survival of both the viral agent and intermediate hosts. One important factor is the expected increase in the resource base for vector organisms through increased food availability. At least two scenarios under warmer climate are possible. In one scenario is that elevated temperature in northern regions increases both energy balance for hosts and quality of food that leads to greater survival and hence generally higher population densities.

Higher transmission and population density in the vector population is then the consequence. Transfer to humans will increase under such circumstances. In another scenario, higher population densities of vector populations will be counteracted by an overall higher predation rate that dampens the fluctuations and overall vector density. If the population fluctuations are small and at a low level it will make virus dynamic less pronounced. Less human cases will be the likely outcome in this situation. The likelihood for these outcomes is discussed.

Keynote speaker - Andersson S et al.: Phylogeny and Distribution of Vector-Borne Pathogens: What to Expect from Genomics?

Keynote speaker - Barbour A et al.: Interrupting transmission of Lyme borreliosis by targeting a reservoir for vaccination: a longitudinal study of a field site in North America

Keynote speaker - Broman T et al.: Campylobacter jejuni and wild birds

Keynote speaker - Broman T et al.: Natural reservoirs and vectors of Francisella tularensis in Sweden

Keynote speaker - Fouchier R: Influenza virus zoonoses

Keynote speaker - Fouchier R: A Novel Corona Virus Causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Keynote speaker - Lundström J: Intercontinental dispersal and local adaptation of a mosquito-borne bird virus

Keynote speaker -Stervander M: Research activities and possibilities at Ottenby Bird Observatory

Bladh L et al.: Rapid detection and quantification of RNA of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus by Real-Time Reversed Transcription-PCR

Dahlgren D et al.: Survival of Campylobacter jejuni within Acanthamoeba polyphaga; a possible transmission route.

Ehrenborg C et al.: Genetic diversity over short geographic distances and no host specificity among Bartonella grahamii infecting woodland rodents of central Sweden

Ekerfelt C et al.: Involvement of cytolytic immune cells in human Lyme borreliosis - indication of intracellular persistance of the Borrelia spirochete?

Ekstrom J-O et al.: Characterization of the Ljungan virus

Haglund M: Characterization of human TBEV-strains from Sweden and a short review of the phylogenetic relationships within TBEV and Louping Ill.

Jarefors S et al.: Suppressed response to Borrelia-antigen in patients co-exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophila

Johansson M et al.: Development of molecular diagnostics for Orthopoxvirus

Mirazimi A et al.: Phatogenesis and the role of innate immunity in emerging patogen (Crimean Congo Heamorraghic fever virus)

Nejedla P et al.: A Six-year study of the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in Ixodes ricinus ticks in the town park of Brno, Czech Republic.

Olsson G et al.: Hot zones in time and space on human hantavirus infections in northern sweden

Palo T et al.: Changing climate and emerging infectious diseases

Persson T et al.: Biological mosquito control in Sweden and risk assessment for non-target wetland insects

Schäfer M et al.: Biological diversity versus risk for mosquito nuisance and disease transmission in constructed wetlands

Shinikar S et al.: Genetic analysis of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus in Iran

Skarphedinsson S et al.: Detection by PCR of Anaplasma in Danish Roe deer

Vostal K et al.: A Five-year Study of the Presence of Borrelia and Antibodies to Borrelia in Small Rodents.

Widhe M et al.: Borrelia specific IFN-γ and IL-4 secretion in CSF and blood during the course of Human Lyme Borreliosis: relation to clinical outcome

You E et al.: Host Immune Mechanisms in Recurrent Lyme Erythema Infection with Focus on the Cytokines Interleukin-4, Interferon-gamma and Interleukin-10

Zakovska A et al.: Spirochaetes and pathogenic Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in mosquitoes (larvae and adults) in the Czech Republic