Modelling transmission and control of Toxoplasma gondii in New Zealand farmland
Toxoplasma gondii is one of the world’s most prevalent parasites and has significant impacts on the health of humans, domestic animals and wildlife. In New Zealand’s rural environments, T. gondii creates economic losses for the farming industry and threatens vulnerable native avifauna and marine mam...
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| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
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| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241282 |
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| author | Rachelle N. Binny Graham J. Hickling Alex James Chris N. Niebuhr |
| author_facet | Rachelle N. Binny Graham J. Hickling Alex James Chris N. Niebuhr |
| author_sort | Rachelle N. Binny |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Toxoplasma gondii is one of the world’s most prevalent parasites and has significant impacts on the health of humans, domestic animals and wildlife. In New Zealand’s rural environments, T. gondii creates economic losses for the farming industry and threatens vulnerable native avifauna and marine mammals. Predator control of rodents and feral cats has potential to reduce or even eliminate transmission of T. gondii on farms; however, the efficacy of such management is uncertain. We apply a mathematical model of T. gondii transmission dynamics in feral cat and rodent populations in New Zealand farmland and simulate varying intensities of predator control to predict changes in T. gondii prevalence and environmental contamination levels over time. The model predicts that predator control is relatively ineffective for reducing transmission in areas with high environmental contamination rates. However, assuming low rates of environmental contamination, local elimination of T. gondii could be achievable, for example, by control that sustains large reductions of 88%, 69% and 59% in feral cat, house mouse and ship rat populations, respectively, over 56 weeks. Predator control is, therefore, a potentially viable approach for managing T. gondii in some rural environments, but only if high levels of population control are sustained. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6b45dc30370648d8a6c2f6e7f783258d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-6b45dc30370648d8a6c2f6e7f783258d2025-02-05T00:05:15ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032025-02-0112210.1098/rsos.241282Modelling transmission and control of Toxoplasma gondii in New Zealand farmlandRachelle N. Binny0Graham J. Hickling1Alex James2Chris N. Niebuhr3Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research , Lincoln, New ZealandManaaki Whenua – Landcare Research , Lincoln, New ZealandSchool of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury , Christchurch, New ZealandManaaki Whenua – Landcare Research , Lincoln, New ZealandToxoplasma gondii is one of the world’s most prevalent parasites and has significant impacts on the health of humans, domestic animals and wildlife. In New Zealand’s rural environments, T. gondii creates economic losses for the farming industry and threatens vulnerable native avifauna and marine mammals. Predator control of rodents and feral cats has potential to reduce or even eliminate transmission of T. gondii on farms; however, the efficacy of such management is uncertain. We apply a mathematical model of T. gondii transmission dynamics in feral cat and rodent populations in New Zealand farmland and simulate varying intensities of predator control to predict changes in T. gondii prevalence and environmental contamination levels over time. The model predicts that predator control is relatively ineffective for reducing transmission in areas with high environmental contamination rates. However, assuming low rates of environmental contamination, local elimination of T. gondii could be achievable, for example, by control that sustains large reductions of 88%, 69% and 59% in feral cat, house mouse and ship rat populations, respectively, over 56 weeks. Predator control is, therefore, a potentially viable approach for managing T. gondii in some rural environments, but only if high levels of population control are sustained.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241282toxoplasmosispredator controlferal catrodentsepidemiological modeldifferential equations |
| spellingShingle | Rachelle N. Binny Graham J. Hickling Alex James Chris N. Niebuhr Modelling transmission and control of Toxoplasma gondii in New Zealand farmland Royal Society Open Science toxoplasmosis predator control feral cat rodents epidemiological model differential equations |
| title | Modelling transmission and control of Toxoplasma gondii in New Zealand farmland |
| title_full | Modelling transmission and control of Toxoplasma gondii in New Zealand farmland |
| title_fullStr | Modelling transmission and control of Toxoplasma gondii in New Zealand farmland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modelling transmission and control of Toxoplasma gondii in New Zealand farmland |
| title_short | Modelling transmission and control of Toxoplasma gondii in New Zealand farmland |
| title_sort | modelling transmission and control of toxoplasma gondii in new zealand farmland |
| topic | toxoplasmosis predator control feral cat rodents epidemiological model differential equations |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241282 |
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