Developing Models of Loiasis Transmission To Inform Control of the Disease

The overall aim of this research is to construct a mathematical model of loiasis dynamics that will facilitate exploration and assessment of a number of research questions pertinent to control and elimination of the disease.

Caused by the filarial parasite Loa loa, loiasis affects over 10 million people across Central Africa, though has traditionally been considered a “benign” infection in comparison to other filarial infections such as onchocerciasis. Recent research linking Loa loa infection to a significantly increased risk of mortality has begun to challenge this conception, but overall, little contemporary attention has been paid to the infection- significant knowledge gaps exist in our understanding of both the parasite’s basic biology and the disease’s epidemiological dynamics.

Motivated by this, the research undertaken in this project aims to construct a mathematical model of loiasis transmission, integrating data from a variety of different sources to fully parameterise an age and sex structured model of the infection’s dynamics across a range of communities in central Cameroon. This model will provide a framework through a number of pertinent research questions can be addressed, including evaluation of various treatment strategies, the feasibility of elimination, as well as better quantification of this neglected, but vitally important disease.