Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling
Published on: July 4, 2007
Patterns in the effects of infectious diseases on population growth
1Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica, Amsterdam.
Abstract:
An infectious disease may reduce or even stop the exponential growth of a population. We consider two very simple models for microparasitic and macroparasitic diseases, respectively, and study how the effect depends on a contact parameter kappa. The results are presented as bifurcation diagrams involving several threshold values of kappa. The precise form of the bifurcation diagram depends critically on a second parameter xi, measuring the influence of the disease on the fertility of the hosts. A striking outcome of the analysis is that for certain ranges of parameter values bistable behaviour occurs: either the population grows exponentially or it oscillates periodically with large amplitude.
Related Concept Videos
Population Growth
Steps in Outbreak Investigation
Exponential Growth
Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth
Modeling with Differential Equations
Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence

