Incorporating genetic selection into individual-based models of malaria and other infectious diseases.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Control strategies for human infections are often investigated using individual-based models (IBMs) to quantify their impact in terms of mortality, morbidity and impact on transmission. Genetic selection can be incorporated into the IBMs to track the spread of mutations whose origin and spread are driven by the intervention and which subsequently undermine the control strategy; typical examples are mutations which encode drug resistance or diagnosis- or vaccine-escape phenotypes.

Methods and results

We simulated the spread of malaria drug resistance using the IBM OpenMalaria to investigate how the finite sizes of IBMs require strategies to optimally incorporate genetic selection. We make four recommendations. Firstly, calculate and report the selection coefficie

SUBMITTER: Hastings IM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7691459 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature