Understanding heterogeneities in mosquito-bite exposure and infection distributions for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis.

ABSTRACT: It is well known that individuals in the same community can be exposed to a highly variable number of mosquito bites. This heterogeneity in bite exposure has consequences for the control of vector-borne diseases because a few people may be contributing significantly to transmission. However, very few studies measure sources of heterogeneity in a way which is relevant to decision-making. We investigate the relationship between two classic measures of heterogeneity, spatial and individual, within the context of lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic mosquito-borne disease. Using infection and mosquito-bite data for five villages in Papua New Guinea, we measure biting characteristics to model what impact bed-nets have had on control of the disease. We combine this analysis with geospatial modellin

SUBMITTER: Irvine MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5805933 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature