氣候變遷對蟲媒及蟲媒傳染病的影響

Effects of Climate Change on Vectors and Vector-borne Infectious Diseases

全球氣候變遷會影響自然生態的運作，改變蟲媒傳染病的生態，其影響層面包括節肢動物病媒、動物宿貯主和人類活動。一般而言，環境的氣溫、降雨量、濕度和二氧化碳等環境因子會間接地影響病媒節肢動物的生長、發育、覓食、吸血行為和族群動態等。這些環境因子同時也影響病原體在病媒節肢動物體內的發育時序，以及影響動物貯主和人類宿主對病原體的感受性，最後在人群及其他動物中造成嚴重疾病盛行。尤其氣候變遷引發的動物疫病和蟲害所造成的農作損害，導致開發中國家居民或牲畜營養不良，嚴重影響人類和動物對疾病的抵抗力。氣候變遷對蟲媒傳染病的影響層面，主要是促使貯主或病媒族群的數量或分佈範圍增加，或增加病媒或動物宿主遷移至新的地區的比例，甚至於延長感染和傳播的週期。蟲媒傳染病沒有國界和地域之分，區域性的蟲媒和傳染病除了受到氣候變遷影響外，同時也受到公共衛生和人文社會活動的影響。唯有透過跨領域合作才能釐清氣候變遷在病媒生態所扮演的關鍵角色，以及降低蟲媒傳染病的擴散和對人類和農畜經濟的傷害等。本文主要介紹氣候變遷對蟲媒的影響，並舉例說明氣候變遷下蟲媒傳染病流行的現況和可能機制。

The transmission and the ecology of arthropod-borne pathogens, which lies in the interface of the arthropods, animal hosts, and human activities, have undergone substantial changes as the consequences of the global climate change. Generally, the growth, development, host seeking, hematophagy, and population dynamics of the disease vectors can also be affected by the temperature, precipitation, humidity, and other variables. Additionally, the development of the pathogens in the disease vectors and the susceptibility of the animal reservoirs and human hosts can also be influenced subsequently causing the epidemics in humans and animals. On the other hand, the climate change has also imposed significant potential threats to the food security and the human and animal nutrition in the developing countries. Taken together, the multidimensional influence from the climate change can lead to the alteration of the numbers and the distribution of certain vectors and reservoirs, the alteration in the incubation period or the time required for the completion of transmission cycle. The interdisciplinary collaboration can foster the understanding in the role and the impact of global climate change for the changing vector ecology, which carries the critical value for the control and prevention of the pest species with human and veterinary public health as well as agriculture significance. The paper focused on the impact of the global climate change to the vectors and possible mechanisms of vector-borne infectious disease.