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From superspreaders to disease hotspots: linking transmission across hosts and space

Sara H Paull1, Sejin Song, Katherine M McClure

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 334 UCB, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
|March 14, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Disease transmission varies greatly between hosts and locations. Understanding these 'superspreading' events and 'hotspots' is crucial for effective disease management across human, plant, and animal populations.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Disease Ecology
  • Infectious Disease Transmission

Background:

  • The concept of superspreading, exemplified by 'Typhoid Mary,' highlights significant variability in disease transmission.
  • Transmission heterogeneity is observed across hosts (e.g., amplification hosts), species, and spatial locations (disease hotspots).
  • Existing research necessitates an integrated framework to study transmission heterogeneity comprehensively.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize existing literature on human, plant, and animal diseases to evaluate factors driving transmission heterogeneity.
  • To assess the relative contributions of host, pathogen, and environmental factors to transmission variability across hosts and space.
  • To explore the link between host and spatial heterogeneity in disease dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Literature synthesis across human, plant, and animal infectious diseases.
  • Evaluation of host, pathogen, and environmental factors influencing transmission.
  • Analysis of spatial and host-related heterogeneity in disease spread.

Main Results:

  • Host and spatial heterogeneity in disease transmission are closely interconnected.
  • Quantitative assessment of contributions from infectious individuals, species, or environmental patches can inform management.
  • Pathogen natural history significantly influences transmission heterogeneity patterns.

Conclusions:

  • An integrated framework is essential for understanding and managing transmission heterogeneity.
  • Identifying and quantifying key drivers of heterogeneity aids in developing targeted disease control strategies.
  • Further research into pathogen natural history's role in transmission heterogeneity is warranted, opening new study frontiers.
Keywords:
competent speciescontact networkdisease managementreservoir potentialtransmission focus

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