Body-size scaling in an SEI model of wildlife diseases

Luca Bolzoni, Giulio A. De Leo, Marino Gatto and Andrew P. Dobson

Theoretical Population Biology, 2008, vol. 73, issue 3, 374-382

Abstract: A number of wildlife pathogens are generalist and can affect different host species characterized by a wide range of body sizes. In this work we analyze the role of allometric scaling of host vital and epidemiological rates in a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected (SEI) model. Our analysis shows that the transmission coefficient threshold for the disease to establish in the population scales allometrically (exponent = 0.45) with host size as well as the threshold at which limit cycles occur. In contrast, the threshold of the basic reproduction number for sustained oscillations to occur is independent of the host size and is always greater than 5. In the case of rabies, we show that the oscillation periods predicted by the model match those observed in the field for a wide range of host sizes.

Keywords: Allometry; SEI model; Wildlife diseases; Bifurcation analysis; Multihost (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:thpobi:v:73:y:2008:i:3:p:374-382

DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2007.12.003

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