Local human movement patterns and land use impact exposure to zoonotic malaria in Malaysian Borneo [article]

Kimberly M Fornace, Neal Alexander, Tommy R Abidin, Paddy M Brock, Tock H Chua, Indra Vythilingam, Heather M Ferguson, Benny O Manin, Meng L Wong, Sui H Ng, Jonathan Cox, Chris J Drakeley
2019 biorxiv/medrxiv   pre-print
Human movement into insect vector and wildlife reservoir habitats determines zoonotic disease risks; however, few data are available to quantify the impact of land use on pathogen transmission. Here, we utilise GPS tracking devices and novel applications of ecological methods to develop fine-scale models of human space use relative to land cover to assess exposure to the zoonotic malaria Plasmodium knowlesi in Malaysian Borneo. Combining data with spatially explicit models of mosquito biting
more » ... es, we demonstrate the role of individual heterogeneities in local land use in disease exposure. At a community level, our data indicate that areas close to both secondary forest and houses have the highest probability of human P. knowlesi exposure, providing quantitative evidence for the importance of edge effects. Our results illustrate the role of human land use and fine-scale movements in infectious disease transmission by intensifying interactions between pathogens, insect vectors and people around habitat edges.
doi:10.1101/734590 fatcat:5kx5p5wzavdt3oxkwmf2gcb774