Transmission of pathogens to their host can be facilitated greatly by arthropods, which often break the host's skin through bites, punctures, cuts or other means. Such arthropods are called vectors, and vector-borne diseases may be adequately controlled by controlling the vector population. Pathogens that are transmitted by a vector include protozoa (malaria), viruses (West Nile), and bacteria (Lyme).
| Disease | Pathogen (cause) | Vector |
| Anaplasmosis | Anaplasma phagocyticum | Tick |
| Buruli ulcer | Mycobacterium ulcerans | aquatic insects? |
|
Cat
scratch disease |
Bartonella henselae | Fleas |
|
Ehrlichiosis |
Ehrlichia chaffeensis | Ticks |
|
Lyme
disease |
Borrelia burgdorferi | Ticks |
|
Oroya
fever |
Bartonella bacilliformis | Sandfly |
|
Plague |
Yersinia pestis | Fleas |
| Q fever | Coxiella burnetii | Ticks |
| Rabbit fever (Tularemia) | Francisella tularensis | Ticks |
|
Relapsing
fever |
Borrelia spp. | Ticks |
|
Relapsing
fever |
Borrelia recurrentis | Lice |
| Rickettsialpox | Rickettsia akari | Mites |
|
Rocky
mountain spotted fever |
Rickettsia rickettsii | Ticks |
| Scrub typhus | Orientia tsutsugamushi | Mites |
| Trachoma | Chlamydia trachomatis | Flies |
|
Trench
fever |
Bartonella quintana | Lice |
| Tularemia | Francisella tularensis | flies, ticks |
|
Typhus
fever |
Rickettsia prowazekii | Lice |
|
Typhus
fever |
Rickettsia typhi | Fleas |
| Disease | Pathogen (cause) | Vector |
| Colorado tick fever | Coltivirus | Tick |
| Dengue fever | Flavivirus | Mosquito (Aedes) |
| Rift Valley fever | Phlebovirus | Fly |
| Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever | Nairovirus | Tick |
| California & Lacrosse encephalitis | Bunyavirus | Mosquito (Aedes) |
| WEE, VEE, EEE | Alphaviruses | Mosquito (Culex) |
| West Nile , Japanese, St. Louis | Flavivirus | Mosquito (Culex) |
| Russian Spring-Summer encephalitis | Flavivirus | Tick |
| Yellow fever | Flavivirus | Mosquito (Aedes) |
| Chikungunya fever | Alphavirus | Mosquito (Aedes) |
| Bourbon virus disease | Thogotovirus | Tick |
| Zika virus infection | Zika virus | Mosquito (Aedes) |
| Disease | Pathogen (cause) | Vector |
| Malaria | Plasmodium spp. | Mosquito (Anopheles) |
| Babesiosis | Babesia spp. | Tick |
| Leishmaniasis | Leishmania spp. | Sandfly |
| African Sleeping Sickness | Trypanosoma brucei | Tsetse fly |
| Chagas' Disease | Trypanosoma cruzi | Reduviid bugs |
| Disease | Pathogen (cause) | Vector |
| Bancroft filariasis | Wuchereria bancrofti | Mosquito (Anopheles, Aedes, Culex) |
| Loa loasis | Loa loa | Mango fly |
| Onchocerciasis | Onchocerca volvulus. | Blackfly |