Anopheles Gambiae in Brazil, 1930 to 1940

T HE announcement that Anopheles gambiae had been discovered in Natal, Brazil, in I930 aroused little interest except in those few students who could appreciate the full meaning of the consequences that might follow. Because Anopheles gambiae is one of the most efficient of all the vectors of malaria, it is the chief reason why this disease is so prevalent in large parts of fertile Africa and the chief cause which keeps that continent in a very backward state. As a result of increased transportation facilities between Dakar and Natal, the mosquito was lifted from its natural habitat and planted in a suitable spot on the South American continent. Here it succeeded in establishing a foothold, and nine years later it had extended its boundaries to so wide an area that Dr. M. A. Barber,' a lifetime student of malaria, wrote: is no doubt that this invasion of gambiae threatens the Americas with a catastrophe in comparison with which ordinary pestilence, conflagration, or even war are but small and temporary calamities. Gambiae literally enters into the very veins of a country and may remain to plague it for centuries. Even the penetration of yellow fever into the Orient might well be a lesser evil, because its vector is domestic and more easily controlled. When the medical history of this century is written the result of the contest of health agencies with this preventible invasion will form one of its most interesting chapters. The invasion of Brazil by Anopheles gambiae, accomplished by the new air connection between that country and Africa or by fast surface transportation, is an example of what the international health authorities hope will not be repeated during and after the war. Their concern is real; for transportation facilities have increased manyfold in practically every section of the globe. We are reliably informed that it is now possible to go from any part of the world to another within 6o hours. Not only are there new routes, some in the worst places as regards the danger of translocating important disease vectors, but the volume has increased, and there is a literal stream of arriving and departing planes. Although these planes are sprayed with insecticides both before leaving and on arrival, it is still possible for an occasional insect to escape. Actually, within the past I8 months more than goo dead specimens have been found in arriving planes by the Brazilian Heakh Service at Natal. Many of the insects were Anopheles gambiae, but there were two or three Glossina (tsetse) flies, the vector for African sleeping sickness. Not only is there cause to be concerned over the likelihood that exotic disease transmitters will be introduced into new areas; they may be more dangerous than they were in their natural habitat. These insect stowaways-for that matter, practically all biological species-usually follow one of two courses when transplanted. Either they perish within a relatively short time, or, if conditions are favorable, they multiply at an enormous rate in the absence of their natural enemies. There are many examples of this phenomenon, such as the rabbit in Australia, the mongoose in Jamaica, and the Japanese beetle in this country

Anopheles gambiae · Biology · Geography · Malaria · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Zoology · Immunology · Mosquito-borne diseases and control

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