The role of human movement in the transmission of vector-borne pathogens
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Human movement is a key behavioral factor in many vector-borne disease systems because it influences exposure to vectors and thus the transmission of pathogens. Human movement transcends spatial and temporal scales with different influences on disease dynamics. Here we develop a conceptual model to evaluate the importance of variation in exposure due to individual human movements for pathogen transmission, focusing on mosquito-borne dengue virus. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We develop a model showing that the relevance of human movement at a particular scale depends on vector behavior. Focusing on the day-biting Aedes aegypti, we illustrate how vector biting behavior combined with fine-scale movements of individual humans engaged in their regular daily routine can influence transmission. Using a simple example, we estimate a transmission rate (R(0)) of 1.3 when exposure is assumed to occur only in the home versus 3.75 when exposure at multiple locations--e.g., market, friend's--due to movement is considered. Movement also influences for which sites and individuals risk is greatest. For the example considered, intriguingly, our model predicts little correspondence between vector abundance in a site and estimated R(0) for that site when movement is considered. This illustrates the importance of human movement for understanding and predicting the dynamics of a disease like dengue. To encourage investigation of human movement and disease, we review methods currently available to study human movement and, based on our experience studying dengue in Peru, discuss several important questions to address when designing a study. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Human movement is a critical, understudied behavioral component underlying the transmission dynamics of many vector-borne pathogens. Understanding movement will facilitate identification of key individuals and sites in the transmission of pathogens such as dengue, which then may provide targets for surveillance, intervention, and improved disease prevention.
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The complex relationship between vector abundance, virus transmission and human infection rates is far from clear.
“This is particularly true for dengue, where the complex relationship between vector abundance, virus transmission and human infection rates are far from clear [86,127,128].”
From Is Dengue Vector Control Deficient in Effectiveness or Evidence?: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2016) · cites this paper as [128]
Hosts are heterogeneously distributed in the environment and are moving targets, and can exhibit defensive or avoidance behavior possibly in response to increased biting.
“It is also important to bear in mind that hosts are also heterogeneously distributed in the environment and are moving targets,106 and that hosts can exhibit defensive or avoidance behavior, possibly in response to increased biting by mosquitoes.107”
From Recasting the theory of mosquito-borne pathogen transmission dynamics and control (2014) · cites this paper as [106]
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“between vector abundance, virus transmission and human infection rates are far from clear [86,127,128].”
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“It is also important to bear in mind that are also heterogeneously distributed in the environment and are moving targets, 106 and that hosts can exhibit defensive or avoidance behavior, possibly in response to increased biting by mosquitoes.”
Self-citation
- Authors
- Stoddard, S. T., Morrison, A. C., Vazquez-Prokopec, G. M., Paz Soldan, V., Kochel, T. J., Kitron, U., Elder, J. P., & Scott, T. W.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Davis (US)
- Naval Medical Research Command (US)
- Emory University (US)
- San Diego State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Stoddard, Steven T.
- Venue
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2009-07-21
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- e481
- ISSN
- 1935-2727 (ISSN-L)
- 1935-2735
- PMC
- PMC2710008
- OpenAlex
- W2092288223
- Semantic Scholar
- 0e23a47db9261cb0accfe7f60510207c81a62fcf
- Cited by
- 573
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 50 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 55 · 2018: 40 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 36
- FWCI
- 24.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- PLoS neglected tropical diseases (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r01ai069341-05, UL1TR000454)
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01-AI069341, R01 AI069341-01)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- Naval Medical Research Center
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Dengue and Mosquito Control Research
- Keywords
- human movement, vector-borne transmission, dengue virus, Aedes aegypti, mosquito biting behavior, basic reproduction number, Peru
- MeSH terms
- Aedes, Animals, Dengue, Dengue Virus, Disease Vectors, Emigration and Immigration, Humans, Insect Bites and Stings, Peru, Models, Statistical, Basic Reproduction Number
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