Mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue, Zika, and West Nile virus involve transmission processes that span multiple biological scales, from viral dynamics within the host and vector to population-level spread. While multiscale models have the potential to capture these interactions more accurately, they are often hindered by increased complexity and limited data availability.
In this study, Saldaña from our partner INRAE and Velasco-Hernández from UNAM developed a multiscale epidemic model that linkshost-vector population dynamics to within-host and within-vector pathogen processes. The model captures viral progression inside the mosquito and uses a dose-dependent transmission framework informed by empirical data from mosquito feeding experiments on live hosts.
The findings show that the way the scales are coupled matters considerably. Linear coupling produces the same outcomes as simpler models, suggesting the added detail is not always needed. However, nonlinear coupling can give rise to qualitatively different behavior, such as multiple endemic equilibria. These results provide guidance on when multiscale modeling is essential for understanding and managing vector-borne diseases.
You can read the full article here.
Saldaña, Fernando, et al. Multiscale modeling of vector-borne diseases: The role of dose-dependent transmission. Epidemics (2026): 100904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epidem.2026.100904
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