Space-time strategies for biological control of the Aedes aegypti mosquito

• Grant number: 23/04024-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• End date: February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Mathematics - Applied Mathematics
• Principal Investigator: Cláudia Pio Ferreira
• Grantee: Ana Clara de Pontes Martins
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Arboviruses are one of the main causes of morbidity in Brazil, among them those that cause epidemics in the urban environment, such as Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya, which circulate together since 2015. The three viruses are transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and the only effective control strategy is combating the vector. Three forms of control are in progress: mechanical, chemical and biological. This project proposes the development of discrete mathematical models, based on agents and networks, to evaluate vector biological control strategies, for example, the release of mosquitoes infected by Wolbachia and sterile mosquitoes. The first technique consists of replacing or reducing the wild population by a population infected by the bacteria, which is not very capable of transmitting the virus. Unlike the sterile mosquito release technique, the release of infected mosquitoes is self-sustaining. We will mainly study the influence of spatial factors (distribution of breeding sites) on the effectiveness of these two techniques.