Empirical evidence for key hosts in persistence of a tick-borne disease

• Published in: International journal for parasitology Vol. 33; no. 9; pp. 909 - 917
• Main Authors: Perkins, Sarah E., Cattadori, Isabella M., Tagliapietra, Valentina, Rizzoli, Annapaola P., Hudson, Peter J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: 20/80 Rule; Animals; Apodemus flavicollis; Behavior, Animal; Biological and medical sciences; Co-feeding; disease transmission; Disease Vectors; Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne; Encephalitis, Tick-Borne; Encephalitis, Tick-Borne - prevention & control; Encephalitis, Tick-Borne - transmission; Feeding Behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; hematophagy; Heterogeneity; Host-Parasite Interactions; hosts; Humans; Italy; Ixodes ricinus; Ixodidae; Male; males; mathematics and statistics; Medically important nuisances and vectors, pests of stored products and materials: population survey and control; Muridae; Muridae - parasitology; Muridae - physiology; parasitology; physiology; prevention & control; spatial variation; temporal variation; Tick Infestations; Tick Infestations - virology; Tick-borne encephalitis; Tick-borne encephalitis virus; transmission; vector competence; Vector-borne disease; vectorial capacity; Vectors. Intermediate hosts; virology; Italy; 20/80 Rule; Heterogeneity; Vector-borne disease; Tick-borne encephalitis; Co-feeding; Host parasite relation; Apodemus flavicollis; Acari; Transmission from animal to animal; Arbovirus disease; Vector; Ixodidae; Parasitiformes; Nervous system diseases; Tick borne encephalitis; Rodentia; Host; Cerebral disorder; Feeding; Infection; Arachnida; Vertebrata; Ixodes; Mammalia; Ixodida; Arthropoda; Viral disease; Central nervous system disease; Muridae; Invertebrata

An important epidemiological consequence of aggregated host–parasite associations occurs when parasites are vectors of pathogens. Those hosts that attract many vectors will tend to be the focus of transmission. But to what extent, and can we identify characteristics of these key hosts? We investigat...