Insect-Borne Diseases in the 21st Century

Insect-Borne Diseases in the 21st Century provides a comprehensive look at the most notorious diseases carried by insects. It offers an assessment of current and potential insect-vectored diseases as they relate to human health and agricultural and livestock production. Written by a leading expert in insect-borne diseases, it examines the history of insect-borne diseases, beginning with those that have been well-known to scientists for decades, also including recent outbreaks like Zika. The book takes into consideration environmental conditions and climate change and explores the bionetworks and system biology of potential new superorganisms, offering preventative and protective solutions. This is a must-have resource for entomology researchers and students who seek the most up-to-date information on disease-causing pathogens transmitted by insects. This book will also serve as a resource for ordinary people whose lives may be affected by such diseases. - Details the leading insect-transmitted diseases, including malaria, West Nile, Zika, dengue, yellow fever and Xylella - Examines containment issues, including resistance phenomena among insects and microorganisms - Offers alternative solutions to protection and prevention, including natural and environmentally-friendly insecticides

Marcello Nicoletti is a full-time professor of Pharmaceutical Biology and Pharmacognosy at the Environmental Biology Department of the University Sapienza of Rome, where he also earned his degrees in Chemistry (1974) and Industrial Chemistry (1976). Dr. Nicoletti completed a Post-doctorate at the University of Cambridge (England), working in Biochemistry of Amino Acids. At first, Dr. Nicoletti focused his research on the study of plants utilized in local traditional medicine. He has spent several years traveling in South America and Africa, focusing initially on Curare alkaloids, and later on antimalarial alkaloids and glycosides to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy. He specialized in the chemical, nutritional, and biological study of plant-active constituents. Dr. Nicoletti is author of over 300 papers in international scientific journals as well as several books. More than 100 of his most recent papers and book chapters have been dedicated to the control of insect-borne diseases using new natural substances and plant-derived products. Such products were created through nanotechnology applications developed by the collaboration with several international research groups. Furthermore, he is co-editor of the journal Natural Products Research. Recently, Dr. Nicoletti's interests have turned to Meristemotherapy, a medical approach based on utilization of juvenile plant tissues to treat several pathologies. He wrote a book on this topic alongside Dr. F. Piterà called Gemmotherapy, Scientific foundations of a Modern Meristemotherapy, which has been translated into several languages.