Environmental effects on parasitic disease transmission exemplified by schistosomiasis in western China.

ABSTRACT: Environmental effects on the transmission of many parasitic diseases are well recognized, but the role of specific factors like climate and agricultural practices in modulating transmission is seldom characterized quantitatively. Based on studies of Schistosoma japonicum transmission in irrigated agricultural environments in western China, a mathematical model was used to quantify environmental impacts on transmission intensity. The model was calibrated by using field data from intervention studies in three villages and simulated to predict the effects of alternative control options. Both the results of these interventions and earlier epidemiological findings confirm the central role of environmental factors, particularly those relating to snail habitat and agricultural and sanitation prac

SUBMITTER: Liang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1852328 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature