Behavioral plasticity and virus propagation: the FIV-cat population example

Area of Science:

• Mathematical modeling
• Epidemiology
• Behavioral ecology

Background:

• Intra-individual behavioral variability can impact disease transmission dynamics.
• Understanding these dynamics is crucial for predicting and managing infectious diseases in populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a theoretical framework integrating behavioral variability into disease spread models.
• To investigate the influence of behavioral tactics on the transmission of directly transmitted diseases.
• To apply the model to the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in domestic cats.

Main Methods:

• Coupling a hawk-dove game model (fast timescale) with a compartmental epidemic model (slow timescale).
• Incorporating individual experience, environmental conditions, and opponent interactions into behavioral tactics.
• Simulating disease spread dynamics under varying parameters for FIV transmission.

Main Results:

• The model predicts diverse epidemiological outcomes: epidemic extinction, or endemicity at low, intermediate, and high FIV prevalence.
• Model predictions align with observed FIV prevalence in domestic cat populations across different environments.
• Behavioral variability, cost, and gain from fights significantly influence disease dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Behavioral variability is a key factor in determining infectious disease spread and prevalence.
• The proposed theoretical approach effectively models disease dynamics influenced by behavior.
• The model offers valuable insights for managing FIV in domestic cat populations.