Abstract
In this paper, we propose a method to study a general vector–host mathematical model in order to explain how the changes in biodiversity could influence the dynamics of vector-borne diseases. We find that under the assumption of frequency-dependent transmission, i.e., the assumption that the number of contacts is diluted by the total population of hosts, the presence of a competent host is a necessary condition for the existence of an endemic state. In addition, we obtain that in the case of an endemic disease with a unique competent and resilient host, an increase in its density amplifies the disease.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allan BF, Langerhans RB, Ryberg WA, Landesman WJ, Griffin NW, Katz RS, Chase JM (2009) Ecological correlates of risk and incidence of west nile virus in the united states. Oecologia 158(4):699–708. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1169-9
Dobson A (2004) Population dynamics of pathogens with multiple host species. Am Nat 164(S5):S64–S78. https://doi.org/10.1086/424681
Epstein JH, Field HE, Luby S, Pulliam JRC, Daszak P (2006) Nipah virus: Impact, origins, and causes of emergence. Curr Infect Dis Rep 8(1):59–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11908-006-0036-2
Johnson PT, Lund PJ, Hartson RB, Yoshino TP (2009) Community diversity reduces schistosoma mansoni transmission, host pathology and human infection risk. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 276(1662):1657–1663. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2008.1718 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2660983/
Johnson PTJ, Hoverman JT (2012) Parasite diversity and coinfection determine pathogen infection success and host fitness. Proc Natl Acad Sci 109(23):9006–9011. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1201790109 http://www.pnas.org/content/109/23/9006.abstract
Johnson PTJ, Thieltges DW (2010) Diversity, decoys and the dilution effect: how ecological communities affect disease risk. J Exp Biol 213(6):961 http://jeb.biologists.org/content/213/6/961.abstract
Keesing F, Belden LK, Daszak P, Dobson A, Harvell CD , Holt RD, Ostfeld RS (2010) Impacts of biodiversity on the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases. Nature 468,647 EP. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09575
Keesing F, Brunner J, Duerr S, Killilea M, LoGiudice K, Schmidt K, Ostfeld RS (2009) Hosts as ecological traps for the vector of lyme disease. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 276(1675):3911–3919. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1159 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2825780/
LoGiudice K, Duerr STK, Newhouse MJ, Schmidt KA, Killilea ME, Ostfeld RS (2008) Impact of host community composition on lyme disease risk. Ecology 89(10):2841–2849 http://www.jstor.org/stable/27650829
Ostfeld RS, Keesing F (2000) Biodiversity and disease risk: the case of lyme disease. Conserv Biol 14(3):722–728. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.99014.x
Swaddle JP, Calos SE (2008) Increased avian diversity is associated with lower incidence of human west nile infection: observation of the dilution effect. PLOS ONE 3(6):e2488. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0002488
van den Driessche P, Watmough J (2002) Reproduction numbers and sub-threshold endemic equilibria for compartmental models of disease transmission. Math Biosci 180(1):29–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-5564(02)00108-6 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025556402001086
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sanabria Malagón, C., Vargas Bernal, E. Competent Hosts and Endemicity of Multi-Host Vector-Borne Diseases. Bull Math Biol 81, 4470–4483 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-018-00543-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-018-00543-3