Publication
Title
Plague epizootic cycles in Central Asia
Author
Abstract
Infection thresholds, widely used in disease epidemiology, may operate on host abundance and, if present, on vector abundance. For wildlife populations, host and vector abundances often vary greatly across years and consequently the threshold may be crossed regularly, both up- and downward. Moreover, vector and host abundances may be interdependent, which may affect the infection dynamics. Theory predicts that if the relevant abundance, or combination of abundances, is above the threshold, then the infection is able to spread; if not, it is bound to fade out. In practice, though, the observed level of infection may depend more on past than on current abundances. Here, we study the temporal dynamics of plague (Yersinia pestis infection), its vector (flea) and its host (great gerbil) in the PreBalkhash region in Kazakhstan. We describe how host and vector abundances interact over time and how this interaction drives the dynamics of the system around the infection threshold, consequently affecting the proportion of plague-infected sectors. We also explore the importance of the interplay between biological and detectability delays in generating the observed dynamics.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Biology letters / Royal Society [Londen] - London
Publication
London : 2014
ISSN
1744-9561 [print]
1744-957X [online]
DOI
10.1098/RSBL.2014.0302
Volume/pages
10 :6 (2014) , 4 p.
Article Reference
20140302
ISI
000338351500012
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Infectious disease models: wildlife ecology, ecological disturbance and transmission to humans.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 30.06.2014
Last edited 04.03.2024
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