**1. Introduction**

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Currently, the emergence/reemergence of several vector-borne diseases in Europe is one of the most important threats for Public Health. In recent years, it is well known that global change have led to drastic modifications in the eco-epidemiology of various tropical and subtropical diseases. Global change can be defined as the impact of human activity on the fundamental mechanisms of biosphere functioning. Therefore, global change includes not only climate change, but also habitats transformation, water cycle modification, biodiversity loss, synanthropic incursion of alien species into new territories or introduction of new chemicals in nature. Consequently a holistic approach is a key factor to assessing the likelihood of vector-borne diseases transmission in Europe. Among these vectors, culicid mosquitoes are probably the most important because of its large vectorial capacity and its high degree of opportunism (Table 1).


Re-Emergence of Malaria and Dengue in Europe 485

Malaria was a widespread disease in the whole of Europe until the second half of 20th century. The anthroponosis, often called "marsh fever" in the past, was particularly devastating between XVI and XIX centuries in Southern Europe due to the boom of irrigation techniques based on long flooding periods (e.g. rice fields). Several environmental modifications (mainly the drainage of swamps, moats, ditches and other stagnant waters), but particularly the availability of efficient synthetic antimalarial drugs and improved mosquito control activities including DDT spraying after World War II, have led to the disappearance of malaria from Europe (Bruce-Chwatt & de Zulueta, 1980). However, although *Anopheles* populations were significantly reduced by different control methods, in

Today malaria annually affects 500 million people and threatens directly or indirectly 40% of world population (World Health Organization [WHO], 2007). However it is well known that these morbidity and mortality data show an asymmetric distribution, mainly depending on the economical, social and sanitary level of each country or region. The disease is endemic in much of Africa and several countries of Asia, Central America and South America. In Europe, the cycles of malaria transmission are relatively common in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkey (WHO, 2010). This mosquito-borne parasitaemic disease is caused by protozoa of the genus *Plasmodium*. Although the simian parasite *Plasmodium knowlesi* (Knowles and Das. Gupta 1932) has been found recently as a cause of human malaria in Southeastern Asia (Luchavez et al., 2008), other four plasmodia species are the most recognized to infect humans in nature conditions: *Plasmodium falciparum* (Welch, 1897), *Plasmodium vivax* (Grassi & Feletti, 1890), *Plasmodium malariae* (Feletti & Grassi, 1889) and *Plasmodium ovale* (Stephens, 1922). About 90% of malaria mortality is caused by tropical strains of *P. falciparum* (most pathogenic species), which is also the species of *Plasmodium* most frequently imported to Europe (European Network on Imported Infectious Disease Surveillance [TropNetEurop], 2010). Furthermore, *P. vivax* shows the largest distribution range because it may also develop in temperate climates, being consequently the only species currently present in the cycles of transmission in Europe. Finally, *P. malariae* and *P. ovale* are characterized by its narrow distribution range and low parasitemia. Regarding to malaria vectors, there are about 40 *Anopheles* species with

The increasing of imported malaria cases in last decades, together with the high presence of anophelines in many Southern Europe regions (Romi et al*.,* 1997; Ponçon et al., 2007; Bueno Marí & Jiménez Peydró, 2010a), has enabled the appearance of several autochthonous malaria cases, as recently has occurred in countries like Italy (Baldari et al., 1998), Greece (Kampen et al., 2002), France (Doudier et al., 2007) or Spain (Santa-Olalla Peralta et al., 2010). This situation forces us to investigate the possible reemergence of malaria in the current context of global change. One of the best methods to deep into the knowledge of possible malaria reemergence is the study of the malariogenic potential, which can be analyzed from the study of the receptivity, infectivity and vulnerability parameters (Romi et al., 2001;

**2. Malaria** 

most cases, the vectors were not eradicated.

an important role in disease transmission (Kiszewski, 2004).

**2.1 Malariogenic potential of Europe** 

Bueno Marí & Jiménez Peydró, 2008).


Table 1. Mosquito vectors in Europe with indication of distribution, indigenous or exotic status and vectorial capacity in each case.
