The impact of aquatic habitats on the malaria parasite transmission: A view from an agent-based model

In this paper, we develop an agent-based model (ABM) to study malaria disease transmission. This ABM is a host-vector model where hosts are humans and vectors are the female Anopheles mosquitos, moreover the ABM is spatially explicit integrating aquatic habitats in which mature vectors breed and the immature vectors develop. The dispersals of vectors, hosts and aquatic habitats and the interactions between them are explicit and depend on their geographical locations, the demographic processes for both hosts and vectors and hosts immunity are taken into account.We implement the ABM using parameters values corresponding to real conditions in nature. Starting from different initial conditions, ABM simulations provide quantitative results predicting disease prevalence in hosts and vectors.The obtained results in this study are asymptotic and highlight the role of aquatic habitats as a determining factor in the transmission of infection and the persistence of the disease. Finally, efficiency of the elimination of aquatic habitats is demonstrated to limit the disease transmission.

Automated summary

This paper develops an agent-based model to study malaria disease transmission, taking into account the interactions between hosts, vectors, and aquatic habitats, as well as their geographical locations. The simulation results highlight the significant role of aquatic habitats in infection transmission and disease persistence, and demonstrate the effectiveness of eliminating these habitats in limiting disease transmission.