Document Type
Article
Source Publication Title
Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering
First Page
657
Last Page
673
Abstract
The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas’ disease, is typically transmitted through a cycle in which vectors become infected through bloodmeals on infected hosts and then infect other hosts through defecation at the sites of subsequent feedings. The vectors native to the southeastern United States, however, are inefficient at transmitting T. cruzi in this way, which suggests that alternative transmission modes may be responsible for maintaining the established sylvatic infection cycle. Vertical and oral transmission of sylvatic hosts, as well as differential behavior of infected vectors, have been observed anecdotally. This study develops a model which accounts for these alternative modes of transmission, and applies it to transmission between raccoons and the vector Triatoma sanguisuga. Analysis of the system of nonlinear differential equations focuses on endemic prevalence levels and on the infection’s basic reproductive number, whose form may account for how a combination of traditionally secondary infection routes can maintain the transmission cycle when the usual primary route becomes ineffective.
Disciplines
Mathematics | Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Publication Date
7-1-2010
Language
English
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Kribs, Christopher, "Alternative transmission modes for Trypanosoma cruzi" (2010). Mathematics Faculty Publications. 20.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/math_facpubs/20
Comments
This research was partially supported by a grant from the Fondo Ram´on Buylla-´ Alvarez. This work was also supported by a grant from the Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program.