Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Allometry and simple epidemic models for microparasites

G A De Leo1, A P Dobson

  • 1Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, New Jersey 08544-1003, USA.

Nature
|February 22, 1996
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Three reasons why expanded use of natural enemy solutions may offer sustainable control of human infections.

People and nature (Hoboken, N.J.)·2022
Same author

Models with environmental drivers offer a plausible mechanism for the rapid spread of infectious disease outbreaks in marine organisms.

Scientific reports·2020
Same author

Disease ecology, health and the environment: a framework to account for ecological and socio-economic drivers in the control of neglected tropical diseases.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2017
Same author

The parasites of Anolis lizards in the northern Lesser Antilles : I. Patterns of distribution and abundance.

Oecologia·2017
Same author

The parasites of Anolis lizards the northern Lesser Antilles : II. The structure of the parasite community.

Oecologia·2017
Same author

Social living mitigates the costs of a chronic illness in a cooperative carnivore.

Ecology letters·2015
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Mathematical models reveal how host body size influences parasite transmission and epidemic outbreaks. Larger mammals experience less frequent but potentially more impactful disease outbreaks, impacting population dynamics.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Mathematical Biology
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Mathematical models are crucial for understanding pathogen population dynamics.
  • Estimating transmission rates in wild host populations is challenging due to limited data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a mathematical model incorporating host body weight to predict parasite transmission.
  • To determine the minimum transmission rate for parasite establishment in mammalian hosts.
  • To investigate how host body size affects epidemic outbreak frequency and pathogen dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Recasting a standard epidemiological model using allometric functions for host birth rates, death rates, and density based on body weight.
  • Applying threshold theorems to estimate minimum parasite transmission rates.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analyzing the scaling relationships between host body size, transmission rates, and epidemic outbreak frequency.

    • Main Results:

    • Parasite transmission rates and the basic reproductive number (R0) are allometric functions of host body size.
    • Epidemic outbreak frequency in hosts scales with body size.
    • The model predicts epidemic periods in different mammalian populations that align with observed cycles in wild populations.

    Conclusions:

    • Host body weight is a significant factor in determining parasite transmission dynamics and epidemic patterns.
    • The allometric scaling approach provides a framework for predicting disease dynamics across diverse mammalian species.
    • This model offers insights into the ecological and evolutionary factors shaping host-pathogen interactions.