Eliminating bovine tuberculosis in cattle and badgers: insight from a dynamic model.

ABSTRACT: Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a multi-species infection that commonly affects cattle and badgers in Great Britain. Despite years of study, the impact of badgers on BTB incidence in cattle is poorly understood. Using a two-host transmission model of BTB in cattle and badgers, we find that published data and parameter estimates are most consistent with a system at the threshold of control. The most consistent explanation for data obtained from cattle and badger populations includes within-host reproduction numbers close to 1 and between-host reproduction numbers of approximately 0.05. In terms of controlling infection in cattle, reducing cattle-to-cattle transmission is essential. In some regions, even large reductions in badger prevalence can have a modest impact on cattle infection and a mu

SUBMITTER: Brooks-Pollock E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4455805 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature