Chagas disease, caused by the unicellular parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a preventable disease. Nevertheless more people in the Americas die from Chagas disease than any other parasitic infection. This application will provide tutorial-based training to the applicant in mathematical modeling and modern computer science at the University of Pennsylvania and the Bloomberg School of Public Health of Johns Hopkins University. Training will be geared towards developing the skills necessary to address complex problems hindering the control of Chagas disease. The long term goal of the research is to integrate diagnostic testing of children at high risk of T. cruzi infection into control programs focused mainly on vector elimination, and to better guide vector elimination campaigns. In addition to tutorial-based training in the United States, entomologic and clinical research will be conducted in Peru in coordination with a research grant awarded by the Fogarty International Center to Dr. Cesar Naquira and collaborators. In Arequipa, a city of nearly one million inhabitants in southern Peru, T. cruzi and Chagas disease have become urban problems. A quiet epidemic of Chagas disease infection is progressing across the city.
The specific aims of this application are: 1) To develop techniques to understand and control T. cruzi transmission in epidemic situations, and, 2. To optimize the spatio-temporal ordering of the Chagas disease vector control campaign in Arequipa, and to elucidate best-practice strategies for vector control elsewhere. In developing these mathematical techniques the candidate will receive quantitative training that will complement his previous work on infectious disease and allow him to develop into a well-rounded independent investigator.

Public Health Relevance

Integrating diagnosis of children for T cruzi infection into Chagas control campaigns has the potential to greatly reduce morbidity and mortality due to Chagas disease in Peru and elsewhere. Optimizing the spatio-temporal order of vector control campaigns can increase the probability that these eliminate future transmission of T cruzi.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01AI079162-03
Application #
7821454
Study Section
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases B Subcommittee (MID)
Program Officer
Costero, Adriana
Project Start
2008-07-15
Project End
2013-05-31
Budget Start
2010-06-01
Budget End
2011-05-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$100,455
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pennsylvania
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
042250712
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104
Khatchikian, Camilo E; Foley, Erica A; Barbu, Corentin M et al. (2015) Population structure of the Chagas disease vector Triatoma infestans in an urban environment. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 9:e0003425
Barbu, Corentin M; Buttenheim, Alison M; Pumahuanca, Maria-Luz Hancco et al. (2014) Residual infestation and recolonization during urban Triatoma infestans Bug Control Campaign, Peru. Emerg Infect Dis 20:2055-63
Dor?áková, Veronika; Salazar-Sanchez, Renzo; Borrini-Mayori, Katty et al. (2014) Characterization of guinea pig antibody responses to salivary proteins of Triatoma infestans for the development of a triatomine exposure marker. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 8:e2783
Buttenheim, Alison M; Paz-Soldan, Valerie; Barbu, Corentin et al. (2014) Is participation contagious? Evidence from a household vector control campaign in urban Peru. J Epidemiol Community Health 68:103-9
Mabud, Tarub S; Barbarin, Alexis M; Barbu, Corentin M et al. (2014) Spatial and temporal patterns in Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) reporting in Philadelphia, PA. J Med Entomol 51:50-4
Maloney, Kathleen M; Ancca-Juarez, Jenny; Salazar, Renzo et al. (2013) Comparison of insecticidal paint and deltamethrin against Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) feeding and mortality in simulated natural conditions. J Vector Ecol 38:6-11
Roellig, Dawn M; Gomez-Puerta, Luis A; Mead, Daniel G et al. (2013) Hemi-nested PCR and RFLP methodologies for identifying blood meals of the Chagas disease vector, Triatoma infestans. PLoS One 8:e74713
Foley, Erica A; Khatchikian, Camilo E; Hwang, Josephine et al. (2013) Population structure of the Chagas disease vector, Triatoma infestans, at the urban-rural interface. Mol Ecol 22:5162-71
Delgado, Stephen; Ernst, Kacey C; Pumahuanca, María Luz Hancco et al. (2013) A country bug in the city: urban infestation by the Chagas disease vector Triatoma infestans in Arequipa, Peru. Int J Health Geogr 12:48
Barbu, Corentin M; Hong, Andrew; Manne, Jennifer M et al. (2013) The effects of city streets on an urban disease vector. PLoS Comput Biol 9:e1002801

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