[Angkor. The mystery of the dead city and Anopheles dirus]

The desertion of Angkor, which during more than five centuries was the center of a glorious civilization, has long been a matter of mystery and conjecture. The discovery of the vectorial capacity of the jungle mosquito Anopheles dirus, its epidemiological importance in the emergence and spread of multidrug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the wiping out of large populations after transfer or deportation of non-immune Khmers into forest areas can now easily explain the desertion of Angkor. In 1431, Angkor Thom, the capital of the Khmer kingdom surrendered to the Thai conquerors. Soon afterwards, the young king left the city in search of a new capital. As a result of the population decrease large surfaces of rice fields were abandoned and reinvaded by the jungle, the typical biotope of Anopheles dirus. Severe epidemics of Plasmodium falciparum then occurred in the non-immune population with very high mortality decreasing again the number of workers and, thus, creating a vicious circle resulting in the progressive but complete desertion of Angkor.