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Controlling infection in predator-prey systems with transmission dynamics.
M-G Cojocaru1, T Migot1, A Jaber1,2
1Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
Infectious Disease Modelling
|January 1, 2020
Summary
This study introduces a prophylactic treatment strategy for predator-prey systems to combat infectious diseases. Preventive treatments can reduce disease prevalence in both populations, optimizing for minimal treatment costs.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Epidemiology
- Mathematical Biology
Background:
- Predator-prey systems are crucial ecological interactions.
- Infectious diseases can significantly impact population dynamics.
- Understanding disease spread in coupled populations is vital for conservation and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and analyze a prophylactic treatment strategy for infectious diseases in a predator-prey system.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment scenarios (prey-only, predator-only, both) on disease prevalence.
- To identify optimal treatment strategies that minimize costs while controlling disease spread.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a susceptible-infectious-susceptible (SIS) epidemic model incorporating vital dynamics and inter-species transmission (contact and predation).
- Incorporated disease-induced mortality rates and treatment uptake parameters.
- Employed optimal control theory to minimize treatment costs subject to ecological and epidemiological constraints.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that prophylactic treatments can lead to a significant drop in disease prevalence in both predator and prey populations.
- Showcased the influence of varying treatment uptake rates and cost structures on disease control outcomes.
- Identified specific conditions under which targeted treatments are most effective.
Conclusions:
- Prophylactic treatment strategies are effective in controlling infectious diseases within predator-prey systems.
- The optimal strategy depends on factors like treatment cost, uptake rate, and the specific dynamics of the predator-prey interaction.
- This research provides a framework for managing disease outbreaks in ecologically complex populations.
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