MODELING CHAGAS DISEASE PERSISTENCE: THE INFLUENCE OF HOUSEHOLD GUINEA PIGS AND DOGS IN AREQUIPA, PERU

Abstract

Chagas disease, one of the world’s 13 most neglected tropical diseases, affects 6- 7 million people worldwide and causes 14,000 deaths per year (Hotez et al., 2007). It is a vector borne disease transmitted via Triatoma infestans and harbored in many animal species. It has an incredibly low transmission rate, but continues to persist in many poor regions throughout Latin America (Clayton, 2010). The goal of this study was to examine a particular transmission system in the region in Southern Peru—a household with dogs and guinea pigs—and uncover how the different components of the system influence persistence over time. The main findings of this study are that the only necessary components for persistence are those that can spark the infection in the short term (the guinea pigs) and those that can sustain it over longer periods of time (the humans); the intermediate lifespan (dogs) is not necessary for persistence.