Title: Blending Mosquito Biting Dynamics into Vector-Borne Disease Transmission Models
 
Abstract: The risk of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks depends critically on mosquito biting frequency. However, standard models of mosquito-borne disease transmission assume that mosquitoes blood-feed only once per reproductive cycle – an assumption contradicted by empirical evidence. I will present a novel framework for incorporating more complex mosquito biting dynamics into transmission models. Despite this added complexity, key epidemiological measures such as the basic offspring and basic reproduction numbers remain analytically tractable, allowing for direct comparison to standard models. To demonstrate the utility of this framework, I compare the standard model to several alternatives, including one grounded in a mechanistic representation of the biting process, revealing how different assumptions about mosquito behavior influence outbreak risk predictions. Key parameters for disease control are identified through a sensitivity analysis of a mechanistic model. This work offers a straightforward approach for integrating biological and ecological knowledge of mosquito biting behavior into epidemiological models and underscores the role of behavioral dynamics in shaping disease transmission.

Zoom Information:

https://unm.zoom.us/j/98912959181

Meeting ID: 989 1295 9181
Passcode: 811422