Zooprophylactic diversion of mosquitoes from human to alternative hosts: A static simulation model

A. Hassanali, L.V. Nedorezov and A.M. Sadykov

Ecological Modelling, 2008, vol. 212, issue 1, 155-161

Abstract: In this paper we describe the development of individual-based simulation model on zoophilic mosquito's behavior that encounters odor plumes from two groups of alternative hosts. Within the framework of the model it is assumed that (i) the hosts are represented by two points located at varying distance from each other and that their odor plumes (“zones of influence”) are represented by fractional–linear functions that depend on the number of individuals in each host group and their relative attractiveness to the mosquito; (ii) a mosquito comes under the attractive influence of the plumes only within a fixed domain with rectangular distribution; (iii) outside the odor zones, the probability of a mosquito locating points that represent human or animal hosts is zero; and (iv) the interval between mosquito's contact with one or the other plume is a stochastic variable with exponential distribution. 105 computer experiments were carried out to elucidate the relationship between the number of individual mosquitoes that arrived at the ‘human point’ and its distance from the ‘animal point’. This relationship was found to have a non-linear character with maximum diversion to the alternative hosts occurring at a certain optimum distance. As expected, at any given distance between the host points, the number of mosquitoes that arrived at the ‘human point’ varied with the relative numbers of ‘human and animal individuals’. The implications of the results are discussed.

Keywords: Zooprophylaxis; Individual-based model; Hosts partial relations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380007005066
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:212:y:2008:i:1:p:155-161

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2007.10.023

Access Statistics for this article

Ecological Modelling is currently edited by Brian D. Fath

More articles in Ecological Modelling from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().