CGPH FACULTY: Robert Spear
DATE OF PUBLICATION: June 2015
REGION: Asia
REFERENCE: Wang S, Spear RC. Exploring the Contribution of Host Susceptibility to Epidemiological Patterns of Schistosoma japonicum Infection Using an Individual-Based Model. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2015 Jun 3;92(6):1245-52. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0691. Epub 2015 Apr 13.
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: We recently reported the analysis of epidemiological data suggesting variability in individual susceptibility to infection by Schistosoma japonicum among rural villagers who reside in Sichuan Province of southwestern China. By supplementing the data used in the earlier analysis from other studies we have reported from this region, we presented improved estimates of cercarial exposure, which in turn, result in stronger evidence of susceptibility. The simulation studies show that, to produce key aspects of the epidemiological findings, the distribution of susceptibility ranges over several orders of magnitude and is highly right skewed. We found no compelling evidence that the distribution of susceptibility differed between the two populations that underlie both the epidemiological and simulation results.
ACCESS: Link to Pubmed