Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2025

Sexual Transmission of American Trypanosomes from Males and Females to Naive Mates
Published on: January 27, 2019
A description of the epidemiological dynamics of Chagas disease via mathematical modeling
Rafael Lozada-Yavina1, Carolina Marchant1, Beatriz Cancino-Faure2
1Departamento de Matemática, Física y Estadística, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca 3480112, Chile.
Abstract:
Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which parasitizes many mammals, including humans. Its vectors are blood-feeding hematophagous triatomine insects of different species, which vary according to the geographical area. One of the 17 neglected diseases targeted by the World Health Organization, Chagas disease is endemic to the Americas, but has spread to other countries due to human migratory movements. In this study, we describe the epidemiological dynamics of Chagas disease in an endemic area, considering the main transmission mechanisms and the demographic effects of birth, mortality, and human migration in this phenomenon. We apply mathematical models as a methodological approach to simulate the interactions between reservoirs, vectors, and humans using a system of ordinary differential equations. The results show that the Chagas disease control measures currently in place cannot be relaxed without endangering the progress achieved to date.
Related Concept Videos
Causality in Epidemiology
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...
Mechanistic Models: Compartment Models in Individual and Population Analysis
Statistical Methods for Analyzing Epidemiological Data
Steps in Outbreak Investigation
Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Blood Flow-Limited Versus Diffusion-Limited Models

