Parasitology
- Parasitology / Volume 139 / Issue 04 / April 2012, pp 441-453
- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012. The online version of this article is published within an Open Access environment subject to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licence <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/>. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use.
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003118201100223X (About DOI), Published online: 06 February 2012
- OPEN ACCESS
Research Article
Modelling the transmission dynamics of Theileria annulata: model structure and validation for the Turkish context
A. J. SUTTONa1 c1, T. KARAGENCa3, S. BAKIRCIa3, H. SARALIa3, G. PEKELa3 and G. F. MEDLEYa2
a1 Health Economics Unit, University of Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
a2 School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
a3 Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Aydın, Turkey
SUMMARY
A mathematical model that describes the transmission dynamics of Theileria annulata is proposed that consists of 2 host components: the Hyalomma tick population and a compartmental model of T. annulata infection in the cattle population. The model was parameterized using data describing tick infestation and the infection status of cattle in Turkey from 2006 to 2008. The tick attachment rates are highly seasonal and because of the temporal separation of infectious and susceptible ticks virtually all ticks are infected by carrier cattle, so that annual peaks of disease in cattle do not impact on infection in the Hyalomma tick population. The impact of intervention measures that target the tick population both on the host and in the environment and their impact on the transmission of T. annulata were investigated. Interventions that have a limited ‘one-off’ impact and interventions that have a more permanent impact were both considered. The results from the model show the importance of targeting ticks during the period when they have left their first host as nymphs but have yet to feed on their second host.
(Received July 21 2011)
(Revised October 21 2011)
(Revised November 10 2011)
(Accepted November 11 2011)
(Online publication February 06 2012)
Key words
Correspondence:
c1 Corresponding author: Health Economics Unit, Public Health Building, University of Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. Tel: +44 121 414 8220. Fax: +44 121 414 8969. E-mail: A.J.Sutton@bham.ac.uk
