Parasitic, bacterial and viral agents continue to challenge the welfare of humans, livestock, wild life and plants worldwide. The public health impact and financial consequences of these diseases are particularly hard on the already overburdened economies of developing countries especially in the tropics. Many of these disease agents utilize insect hosts (vectors) to achieve their transmission to mammals. In the past, these diseases were largely controlled by insecticide-based vector reduction strategies. Now, many of these diseases have reemerged in the tropics, recolonizing their previous range, and expanding into new territories previously not considered to be endemic. Habitat change, irrigation practices, atmospheric and climate change, insecticide and drug resistance as well as increases in global tourism, human traffic and commercial activities, have driven the reemergence and spread of vector borne diseases. While these diseases can be controlled through interventions aimed at both their vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, no effective vaccines exist, and only limited therapeutic prospects are available for their control in mammalian hosts. Molecular technologies such as transgenesis, which is the subject of this book, stand to increase the toolbox and benefit disease management strategies.

This open access book identifies and discusses biodiversity’s contribution to physical, mental and spiritual health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the book identifies the implications of this relationship for nature conservation, public health, landscape architecture and urban planning – and considers the opportunities of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation. This transdisciplinary book will attract a wide audience interested in biodiversity, ecology, resource management, public health, psychology, urban planning, and landscape architecture. The emphasis is on multiple human health benefits from biodiversity - in particular with respect to the increasing challenge of climate change. This makes the book unique to other books that focus either on biodiversity and physical health or natural environments and mental wellbeing. The book is written as a definitive ‘go-to’ book for those who are new to the field of biodiversity and health.

This book describes the epidemiological and evolutionary consequences of the use of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes as well as research orientations and ethical issues concerning the use of GM mosquitoes. It also includes discussion on transgenic mosquitoes for malaria control.

Research on gene drive systems is rapidly advancing. Many proposed applications of gene drive research aim to solve environmental and public health challenges, including the reduction of poverty and the burden of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue, which disproportionately impact low and middle income countries. However, due to their intrinsic qualities of rapid spread and irreversibility, gene drive systems raise many questions with respect to their safety relative to public and environmental health. Because gene drive systems are designed to alter the environments we share in ways that will be hard to anticipate and impossible to completely roll back, questions about the ethics surrounding use of this research are complex and will require very careful exploration. Gene Drives on the Horizon outlines the state of knowledge relative to the science, ethics, public engagement, and risk assessment as they pertain to research directions of gene drive systems and governance of the research process. This report offers principles for responsible practices of gene drive research and related applications for use by investigators, their institutions, the research funders, and regulators.

An in-depth overview on the demo-graphic changes occurring world-wide and the repercussions this is having on the pattern of vector-borne disease is pre-sented in this book. Internationally recognized scientists, epidemiologists, entomologists, parasitologists, and ecologists are contributing authors to this comprehensive account.

Genetic-based animal biotechnology has produced new food and pharmaceutical products and promises many more advances to benefit humankind. These exciting prospects are accompanied by considerable unease, however, about matters such as safety and ethics. This book identifies science-based and policy-related concerns about animal biotechnologyâ€"key issues that must be resolved before the new breakthroughs can reach their potential. The book includes a short history of the field and provides understandable definitions of terms like cloning. Looking at technologies on the near horizon, the authors discuss what we know and what we fear about their effectsâ€"the inadvertent release of dangerous microorganisms, the safety of products derived from biotechnology, the impact of genetically engineered animals on their environment. In addition to these concerns, the book explores animal welfare concerns, and our societal and institutional capacity to manage and regulate the technology and its products. This accessible volume will be important to everyone interested in the implications of the use of animal biotechnology.