Research Paper: Using mechanistic models to highlight research priorities for tick-borne zoonotic diseases: Improving our understanding of the ecology and maintenance of Kyasanur Forest Disease in India

The risk of humans contracting zoonotic diseases (diseases passed from animals to humans) is being altered by changes in the environment.

These changes are occurring rapidly in tropical areas, which are burdened with neglected diseases that often disproportionately affect poorer communities. These diseases generally receive little attention and are less well studied. This means we often have a limited understanding of the ecological processes that influence the risk of people catching zoonotic diseases, which can be crucial in designing effective interventions.

In this study, we developed mathematical models to highlight the ecological processes that influence the maintenance of Kyasanur Forest Disease, a neglected zoonotic disease affecting people in the Western Ghats region of India. Using this approach, we were able to determine the hosts and forms of transmission that are most likely to play important roles in maintaining this pathogen and understand how risk to humans might vary in different habitats.

We were also able to highlight key knowledge gaps and future research priorities that would help to inform interventions.

An additional benefit of this approach is that it can also be used for other tick-borne diseases to help understand how pathogens are maintained and to prioritise the research questions that need to be addressed in other disease systems.