Land Use Change, Transmission Potential Networks and Disease Spread in Madagascar.
Funded by the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease Program (NIH, $2,451,309)
This highly interdisciplinary team of natural and social scientists investigates anthropogenic land use and its impact on infectious disease transmission among humans and animals in Madagascar. We are:
- Using network science and geographic approaches to model transmission pathways in rural communities.
- Testing whether the transmission pathways explain patterns of infection.
- Identifying the factors that influence the contact patterns, which is crucial for understanding social networks and controlling disease transmission.
- Investigating the role of land use change and small mammal communities (especially rats) on human infectious disease risk.
Selected Publications
- Kauffman, K., C. Werner, G. Titcomb, M. Pender, J.Y. Rabezara, J.P. Herrera, J.T. Shapiro, A. Solis, V. Soarimalala, P. Tortosa, R. Kramer, J. Moody and C.L. Nunn (2022). Comparing transmission potential networks based on social network surveys, close contacts, and environmental overlap in rural Madagascar. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 19: 20210690.
- Barrett, T., G.C. Titcomb, M.M. Janko, M. Pender, K. Kauffman, A. Solis, T.M. Randriamoria, H.S. Young, P.J. Mucha, J. Moody, R.A. Kramer, V. Soarimalala, C.L. Nunn (2024). Disentangling Social, Environmental, and Zoonotic Transmission Pathways of a Gastrointestinal Protozoan (Blastocystis spp.) in Northeast Madagascar. American Journal of Biological Anthropology e25030.
- M.V. Evans, T. Ramiadantsoa, K. Kauffman, J. Moody, C.L. Nunn, J.Y. Rabezara, P. Raharimalala, T.M. Randriamoria, V. Soarimalala, G. Titcomb, A. Garchitorena, B. Roche (2023). Socio-demographic variables can guide prioritized testing strategies for epidemic control in resource-limited contexts. Journal of Infectious Diseases 228: 1189-1197
- Dubrulle, J., K. Kauffman, V. Soarimalala, T. Randriamoria, S.M. Goodman, J. Herrera, C.L. Nunn, P. Tortosa (in press). Effect of land-use on hantavirus infection among introduced and endemic small mammals of Madagascar. Ecology and Evolution.
- Kramer, R.A., J.P. Herrera, M. Pender, V. Soarimalala, C.L. Nunn (2023). Ecosystem change, market participation, and human health in villages proximate to Parc National de Marojejy. Malagasy Nature, 17: 267-280.
