Mosquito: a Natural History of Our Most Persistent and Deadly Foe

Bethaney Lewis

ENT 207 (001)

6 March 2014

Mosquito: A Natural History of Our Most Persistent and Deadly Foe

In the non-fiction book, Mosquito, Andrew Spielman and Michael D’Antonio provide a detailed overview of the anatomy and physiology of the mosquito, its role as a vector throughout history’s endemics and epidemics, and the effect it had on global societies. As a leading public heath entomologist and professor of tropical public heath, Spielman goes into great depth explaining the history of various mosquito-borne diseases. He analyzes the biological and geographical features that allow the mosquito to be an ideal vector for diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue, and encephalitis. These diseases have significantly impacted society throughout history, inflicting mass outbreaks and mortality across populations. The casualty rates during outbreaks in turn effected daily life, communities, trade, research, government involvement, and military warfare. Over the course of human history, the mosquito, as a vector, has caused mass casualties impacting society, has led to a better understanding of vector-borne diseases, and has provoked responsive action of world governments.

“In Scotland, the empire lost more than half of an eighty-thousand-man force to a local strain of malaria” (50). Throughout his book, Spielman makes it evident that the mosquito is to blame for transmitting diseases which have devastated infected populations. As human settlements place pressure on mosquitoes, mosquitoes have developed the ability to evolve and adapt to diverse and extreme climates. Blood is needed as nourishment for reproduction and water is necessary for eggs to develop, therefore these factors allow mosquitoes to be found anywhere where a human population exists. Once a mosquito becomes a vector of a disease, an epidemic is likely to follow because of close living conditions within communities. The common diseases it carries quickly infect the body and are...