West, Noelle; Chellamuthu, Vinodh (Dixie State University)
Faculty Advisor: Chellamuthu, Vinodh (Dixie State University, Mathematics)
West Nile Virus (WNV) is a vector-borne illness that has circulated among birds, eventually spreading across the globe. This disease has resulted in thousands of infections and deaths. Several studies suggest that passive immunity in birds and vertical transmission in mosquitoes play a crucial role in the spread of the disease. We have developed a mathematical model to investigate the effects of passive immunity and vertical transmission within the disease dynamics. Our simulation results suggest that passive immunity increases bird resistivity to WNV and that vertical transmission among mosquitoes increases the spread of WNV. Moreover, we expect this model to be used by mosquito abatement centers to estimate the populations of immune birds and to simulate disease outbreaks in the local community.