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Simulation Models Examining the Effect of Brugian Filariasis on Dengue Epidemics

Concurrent ingestion of microfilariae (mf) and arboviruses by mosquitoes can enhance the transmission of virus compared with when virus is ingested alone. We studied the effect of mf enhancement on the extrinsic incubation period (EIP) of dengue 1 virus within Aedes aegypti mosquitoes by feeding mosquitoes on blood that either contained virus plus Brugia malayi mf or virus only. Mosquitoes were sampled over time to determine viral dissemination rates. Co-ingestion of mf and virus reduced viral EIP by over half. We used the computer simulation program, DENSiM, to compare the predicted patterns of dengue incidence that would result from such a shortened EIP versus the EIP derived from the control (i.e., virus only) group of mosquitoes. Results indicated that, over the 14-year simulation period, mf-induced acceleration of the EIP would generate more frequent (but not necessarily more severe) epidemics. Potential interactions between arboviruses and hematozoans deserve closer scrutiny.

Received June 19, 2008. Accepted for publication August 4, 2008.

Acknowledgments: Microfilarial parasites were provided by the University of Georgia through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Filariasis Research Reagent Repository Center. The authors thank K. Kenyon for editorial assistance. Research was conducted in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act and other federal statutes and regulations relating to animals and experiments involving animals and adheres to principles stated in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, National Research Council, 1996. The facility where this research was conducted is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International.

Financial support: This study was supported in part by the National Research Council Senior Fellowship Program and National Institutes of Health Grant AI49477 (JAV).

Disclaimer: The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect the position of the Department of Defense or the Department of the Army.

^* Address correspondence to Jefferson A. Vaughan, Department of Biology, PO Box 9019, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9019. E-mail: jefferson_vaughan{at}und.nodak.edu

Authors’ addresses: Jefferson A. Vaughan, Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9019, E-mail: jefferson_vaughan{at}und.nodak.edu. Dana A. Focks, Infectious |Disease Analysis, PO Box 12852, Gainesville, FL 32604, E-mail: DAFocks{at}ID-Analysis.com. Michael J. Turell, Virology Division, USAMRIID, 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5011, E-mail: michael.turell{at}amedd.army.mil.