Immune and Heat Stress Responses in Arthropods: the Uneasy Equilibrium

Climate change has resulted in sustained elevated average temperatures in many geographical regions over the last decade, triggering changes in the normal geographical range of numerous arthropod disease vectors. Along with the altered geographical ranges of these vectors are changes in the distribution of the human, animal, and plant diseases transmitted by them. During the infective cycle of these diseases the causative agents are subject to the immune system of the arthropod host. Therefore, changes in the function of the host immune system are expected to result in changes in the transmission efficacy of the diseases for which they are vectors. For instance, A. albimanus heat shock results in mosquito resistance to Plasmodium infection. A key influence on the efficacy of the vector immune response is heat stress resulting from the same alterations in global temperatures that are driving changes in the geographic distribution of these arthropod species.

The goal of this Frontiers Research Topic will be to present the latest advances in the study of the interaction between heat stress and the innate immune response in arthropod disease vectors with a special focus on the effects on transmission of diseases important to human health and agriculture. These articles will outline the impact of temperature changes on transmissibility of vector borne disease independent of changes in distribution of arthropod vectors. Taken together, the collection will provide new and valuable insight into the role that temperature induced alterations in insect immunity play in the reshaping of disease prevalence and emergence resulting from climate change and their consequent effects on agriculture and human health.

The research theme will focus generally on the influence that alterations in immune function in arthropod disease vectors have on the transmissibility of relevant vector-borne disease. Articles may include mathematical or theoretical models restricted specifically to disease and pest propagation in the context of temperature changes and heat shock. Descriptive studies of the molecular changes in arthropod immunity upon heat shock or temperature change are welcome. Research addressing or analyzing how temperature induced changes in arthropod immunity affect infection and transmission of specific disease-causing agents at a molecular or systems level are especially encouraged. Articles may include observational or epidemiological studies that shed light on changes in transmission of arthropod vector borne disease as a consequence of climate change, but should not focus primarily or exclusively on changes in arthropod vector population numbers or their geographical range.

We welcome the submission of manuscripts covering, but not limited to, the following topics:

• The effect increased temperature has on the molecular mechanism of innate immunity
• Changes in the arthropod susceptibility to specific disease due to local/global temperature change
• Changes in vector insect distribution and its impact on the transmitted disease upsurge (or downplay)
• Changes in vector insect susceptibility and infection dynamics due to temperature pattern changes
• Changes in vector insect susceptibility and infection dynamics due to temperature distribution changes