Indirect transmission in models of infectious disease: an exploration from hepatitis C virus to SARS-CoV-2
C. Brandon Ogbunu
Yale University, USA
brandon.ogbunu@yale.edu
Variation in free-living, mIcroparasite survival can have a significant impact on the dynamics of established and emerging infectious diseases. Nevertheless, understanding the importance of environmental transmission in the ecology of infectious disease remains a challenge and requires detailed measurements of free-living survival of microparasites settings. In this seminar, I discuss the role of indirect, environmental transmission in epidemics of various kinds, ranging from hepatitis C virus to SARS-CoV-2. I reflect commonalities between diseases of various kinds, and features that are context (and pathogen) specific.
Recent publications:
Ogbunugafor etal. 2020. The intensity of COVID-19 outbreaks is modulated by SARS-CoV-2 free-living survival and environmental transmission. medRxiv 20090092.
Meszaros etal. 2020. Direct transmission via households informs models of disease and intervention dynamics in cholera. 2020. PLOS ONE 15:e0229837.
Miller-Dickson etal. 2019. Hepatitis C virus modelled as an indirectly transmitted infection highlights the centrality of injection drug equipment in disease dynamics. Journal of the Royal Society Interface. Sep 27;16(158):20190334.