Title
A real-time search strategy for finding urban disease vector infestations
Date Issued
01 January 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Abstract
Containing domestic vector infestation requires the ability to swiftly locate and treat infested homes. In urban settings where vectors are heterogeneously distributed throughout a dense housing matrix, the task of locating infestations can be challenging. Here, we present a novel stochastic compartmental model developed to help locate infested homes in urban areas. We designed the model using infestation data for the Chagas disease vector species Triatoma infestans in Arequipa, Peru. Our approach incorporates disease vector counts at each observed house, and the vector's complex spatial dispersal dynamics. We used a Bayesian method to augment the observed data, estimate the insect population growth and dispersal parameters, and determine posterior infestation probabilities of households. We investigated the properties of the model through simulation studies, followed by field testing in Arequipa. Simulation studies showed the model to be accurate in its estimates of two parameters of interest: the growth rate of a domestic triatomine bug colony and the probability of a triatomine bug successfully invading a new home after dispersing from an infested home. When testing the model in the field, data collection using model estimates was hindered by low household participation rates, which severely limited the algorithm and in turn, the model's predictive power. While future optimization efforts must improve the model's capabilities when household participation is low, our approach is nonetheless an important step toward integrating data with predictive modeling to carry out evidence-based vector surveillance in cities.
Volume
9
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Enfermedades infecciosas Biotecnología médica
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85097875085
Source
Epidemiologic Methods
ISSN of the container
2194-9263
Sponsor(s)
We gratefully acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the Ministerio de Salud del Peru (MINSA), the Dirección General de Salud de las Personas (DGSP), the Estrategia Sanitaria Nacional de Prevención y Control de Enfermedades Metaxénicas y Otras Transmitidas por Vectores (ESNPCEMOTVS), the Dirección General de Salud Ambiental (DIGESA), the Gobierno Regional de Arequipa, the Gerencia Regional de Salud de Arequipa (GRSA), and the members of the field and laboratory teams at the Zoonotic Disease Research Laboratory in Arequipa. This study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants 5T32AI007532, 5R01AI146129, and 5R01AI101229. Finally, Dr. Cesar Naquira passed away during the writing of this manuscript. We thank Dr. Naquira for his leadership and everything he taught us over the past 15 years. Research funding: National Institutes of Health grants 5T32AI007532, 5R01AI146129, and 5R01AI101229.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus