Book detailsBasáñez MG, Anderson RM, Editors: Mathematical Models for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Essential Tools for Control and Elimination, Part B, Volume 94, Advances in Parasitology, Academic Press; 2016, 430 pages. ISBN: 978-0-12-809971-1

Spear, Robert C

Parasites & Vectors

English

PubMed

eScholarship - University of California

UC BerkeleyUC Berkeley Previously Published WorksTitleReview of “Mathematical Models for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Essential Tools for Control and Elimination, Part B” Edited by Maria-Gloria Basáñez and Roy M. AndersonPermalinkhttps://escholarship.org/uc/item/3st876k1JournalParasites & Vectors, 10(1)ISSN1756-3305AuthorSpear, Robert CPublication Date2017-12-01DOI10.1186/s13071-017-1974-2 Peer reviewedeScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital LibraryUniversity of CaliforniaBOOK REVIEW Open AccessReview of “Mathematical Models forNeglected Tropical Diseases: Essential Toolsfor Control and Elimination, Part B” Editedby Maria-Gloria Basáñez and Roy M.AndersonRobert C. SpearBook detailsBasáñez MG, Anderson RM, Editors: Mathematical Models for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Essential Tools for Control andElimination, Part B, Volume 94, Advances in Parasitology, Academic Press; 2016, 430 pages. ISBN: 978-0-12-809971-1ReviewThis volume is a complement to earlier collections ad-dressing mathematical modelling of neglected tropicaldiseases principally from participants in the LondonCentre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research (LCNTDR)and the NTD Modelling Consortium. However, readersunfamiliar with that literature will find the volume a nicelybalanced collection of chapters on modelling the trans-mission of NTDs, ranging from bacterial infections tohelminths, but principally directed at those with substantialbackground in infectious diseases, modelling of biologicalsystems, or at their intersection.The volume begins with a well written chapter byPinsent et al. on trachoma transmission. After a briefintroduction to the disease, the chapter is based on acomprehensive review of the literature, followed by anassessment of the strengths and weaknesses of models inunderstanding transmission and informing control pro-grammes. Of the five diseases addressed in this volume,one is left with the impression that the modelling oftrachoma transmission has had the least impact on con-trol programmes, an issue addressed in the chapter.While there are several themes common to most chap-ters, the five disease-specific chapters provide instructivecontrasts in the challenge of developing useful modelsgiven the differences in current understanding of thebiology of this group of diseases. Chapter 4 on schisto-somiasis modelling and control by Anderson and col-leagues lies at one end of this spectrum with a succinctreview of the transmission processes followed by a re-view and updating of the classic Anderson-May model.The focus here is on using the models to study massdrug administration (MDA). At the other end of thespectrum is Chapter 2 on visceral leishmaniasis by Rockand colleagues. The opening sentence of their section ondiseases in humans lays out one dimension of the chal-lenge: “Leishmaniasis is characterized by a diversity ofaetiological agents causing cutaneous (CL), mucocutane-ous (MCL) and visceral (VL) presentations dependenton the species or strain of Leishmania …” Moreover, theinfectivity of individuals with clinical disease to the sand-fly vector, or that of those infected but asymptomatic, isunclear. Hence, this chapter has a 20 page introductionto the disease and its complexities prior to addressingthe current state of modelling transmission.The chapter on soil-transmitted helminths by Truscottet al. is also an application of the Anderson-May frame-work aimed at assessing the impact of MDA on diseasecontrol and criteria for transmission elimination in par-ticular. Similarly, the modelling section of Chapter 5 byBasáñez et al. on river blindness begins with a review ofthe EPIONCHO model that is also in the Anderson-May tradition. In contrast with Chapters 3 and 4 whichCorrespondence: spear@berkeley.eduSchool of Public Health, 50 University Hall, University of California, Berkeley94720-7360, CA, USA© The Author(s). 2017 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, andreproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link tothe Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver(http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Spear Parasites & Vectors  (2017) 10:38 DOI 10.1186/s13071-017-1974-2are focused on MDA, vector control was more promin-ently addressed in the modelling of onchocerciasis fromearly in model development, no doubt due to interest invector control in control activities. That history is sum-marized and is of general interest, but the core of thechapter is mainly addressed to aficionados and comprisesa detailed discussion and comparison of the population-based EPIONCHO and the individual-based modelONCHOSIM. ONCHOSIM, however, is also of broaderinterest as a pioneering application of individual or agent-based models to infectious disease transmission, an ap-proach now being utilized by many others.Two themes that run through all of the disease-specificchapters relate to the importance and challenges of infec-tion diagnosis on one hand and the estimation of modelparameters on the other. Chapter 6 by Medley et al. ad-dresses diagnostics in the case of helminths utilizing anindividual-based model to explore the impact of diagnos-tic sensitivity on MDA campaigns for the control andelimination of Ascaris lumbricoides. Notably, disability-adjusted life years, DALYs, are used as a performancemetric. The chapter serves as an instructive example ofthe interaction between diagnostic sensitivity, baselineprevalence and the nature and characteristics of theintervention.Parameter estimation is a major challenge in many ifnot most applications of complex mathematical modelsdue to the inherently large number of parameters in thesemodels coupled with the paucity of data generally avail-able to inform their values. There is a substantial literatureon this subject in other areas of application that is not ad-dressed in this volume, but the challenge remains formid-able. It is most succinctly laid out in this volume in thesection of Chapter 4 on parameter estimation.The final chapter by Kastner et al. provides a fittingclosure in addressing renewed interest in the planning ofdisease eradication campaigns in the context of an“eradication investment case” including a useful discus-sion of criteria for elimination. The focus is on lymph-atic filariasis and the authors’ use of the EPIFIL modelto explore the feasibility of eradication relying principallyon MDA. This chapter also illustrates that, althoughmuch progress has been made in bringing quantitativemethods to the planning and analysis of infectious dis-ease control programmes, much remains to be done.AbbreviationsDALY: Disability-adjusted life years; MDA: Mass drug administration;NTD: Neglected tropical diseasesCompeting interestsThe author declares that he has no competing interests.Received: 21 December 2016 Accepted: 5 January 2017•  We accept pre-submission inquiries •  Our selector tool helps you to find the most relevant journal•  We provide round the clock customer support •  Convenient online submission•  Thorough peer review•  Inclusion in PubMed and all major indexing services •  Maximum visibility for your researchSubmit your manuscript atwww.biomedcentral.com/submitSubmit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and we will help you at every step:Spear Parasites & Vectors  (2017) 10:38 Page 2 of 2

Review of “Mathematical Models for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Essential Tools for Control and Elimination, Part B” Edited by Maria-Gloria Basáñez and Roy M. Anderson

Robert C. Spear

Springer - Publisher Connector

BOOK REVIEW Open Access
Review of “Mathematical Models for
Neglected Tropical Diseases: Essential Tools
for Control and Elimination, Part B” Edited
by Maria-Gloria Basáñez and Roy M.
Anderson
Robert C. Spear
Book details
Basáñez MG, Anderson RM, Editors: Mathematical Models for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Essential Tools for Control and
Elimination, Part B, Volume 94, Advances in Parasitology, Academic Press; 2016, 430 pages. ISBN: 978-0-12-809971-1
Review
This volume is a complement to earlier collections ad-
dressing mathematical modelling of neglected tropical
diseases principally from participants in the London
Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research (LCNTDR)
and the NTD Modelling Consortium. However, readers
unfamiliar with that literature will find the volume a nicely
balanced collection of chapters on modelling the trans-
mission of NTDs, ranging from bacterial infections to
helminths, but principally directed at those with substantial
background in infectious diseases, modelling of biological
systems, or at their intersection.
The volume begins with a well written chapter by
Pinsent et al. on trachoma transmission. After a brief
introduction to the disease, the chapter is based on a
comprehensive review of the literature, followed by an
assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of models in
understanding transmission and informing control pro-
grammes. Of the five diseases addressed in this volume,
one is left with the impression that the modelling of
trachoma transmission has had the least impact on con-
trol programmes, an issue addressed in the chapter.
While there are several themes common to most chap-
ters, the five disease-specific chapters provide instructive
contrasts in the challenge of developing useful models
given the differences in current understanding of the
biology of this group of diseases. Chapter 4 on schisto-
somiasis modelling and control by Anderson and col-
leagues lies at one end of this spectrum with a succinct
review of the transmission processes followed by a re-
view and updating of the classic Anderson-May model.
The focus here is on using the models to study mass
drug administration (MDA). At the other end of the
spectrum is Chapter 2 on visceral leishmaniasis by Rock
and colleagues. The opening sentence of their section on
diseases in humans lays out one dimension of the chal-
lenge: “Leishmaniasis is characterized by a diversity of
aetiological agents causing cutaneous (CL), mucocutane-
ous (MCL) and visceral (VL) presentations dependent
on the species or strain of Leishmania …” Moreover, the
infectivity of individuals with clinical disease to the sand-
fly vector, or that of those infected but asymptomatic, is
unclear. Hence, this chapter has a 20 page introduction
to the disease and its complexities prior to addressing
the current state of modelling transmission.
The chapter on soil-transmitted helminths by Truscott
et al. is also an application of the Anderson-May frame-
work aimed at assessing the impact of MDA on disease
control and criteria for transmission elimination in par-
ticular. Similarly, the modelling section of Chapter 5 by
Basáñez et al. on river blindness begins with a review of
the EPIONCHO model that is also in the Anderson-
May tradition. In contrast with Chapters 3 and 4 which
Correspondence: spear@berkeley.edu
School of Public Health, 50 University Hall, University of California, Berkeley
94720-7360, CA, USA
© The Author(s). 2017 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to
the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver
(http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Spear Parasites & Vectors  (2017) 10:38 
DOI 10.1186/s13071-017-1974-2
are focused on MDA, vector control was more promin-
ently addressed in the modelling of onchocerciasis from
early in model development, no doubt due to interest in
vector control in control activities. That history is sum-
marized and is of general interest, but the core of the
chapter is mainly addressed to aficionados and comprises
a detailed discussion and comparison of the population-
based EPIONCHO and the individual-based model
ONCHOSIM. ONCHOSIM, however, is also of broader
interest as a pioneering application of individual or agent-
based models to infectious disease transmission, an ap-
proach now being utilized by many others.
Two themes that run through all of the disease-specific
chapters relate to the importance and challenges of infec-
tion diagnosis on one hand and the estimation of model
parameters on the other. Chapter 6 by Medley et al. ad-
dresses diagnostics in the case of helminths utilizing an
individual-based model to explore the impact of diagnos-
tic sensitivity on MDA campaigns for the control and
elimination of Ascaris lumbricoides. Notably, disability-
adjusted life years, DALYs, are used as a performance
metric. The chapter serves as an instructive example of
the interaction between diagnostic sensitivity, baseline
prevalence and the nature and characteristics of the
intervention.
Parameter estimation is a major challenge in many if
not most applications of complex mathematical models
due to the inherently large number of parameters in these
models coupled with the paucity of data generally avail-
able to inform their values. There is a substantial literature
on this subject in other areas of application that is not ad-
dressed in this volume, but the challenge remains formid-
able. It is most succinctly laid out in this volume in the
section of Chapter 4 on parameter estimation.
The final chapter by Kastner et al. provides a fitting
closure in addressing renewed interest in the planning of
disease eradication campaigns in the context of an
“eradication investment case” including a useful discus-
sion of criteria for elimination. The focus is on lymph-
atic filariasis and the authors’ use of the EPIFIL model
to explore the feasibility of eradication relying principally
on MDA. This chapter also illustrates that, although
much progress has been made in bringing quantitative
methods to the planning and analysis of infectious dis-
ease control programmes, much remains to be done.
Abbreviations
DALY: Disability-adjusted life years; MDA: Mass drug administration;
NTD: Neglected tropical diseases
Competing interests
The author declares that he has no competing interests.
Received: 21 December 2016 Accepted: 5 January 2017
•  We accept pre-submission inquiries 
•  Our selector tool helps you to find the most relevant journal
•  We provide round the clock customer support 
•  Convenient online submission
•  Thorough peer review
•  Inclusion in PubMed and all major indexing services 
•  Maximum visibility for your research
Submit your manuscript at
www.biomedcentral.com/submit
Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central 
and we will help you at every step:
Spear Parasites & Vectors  (2017) 10:38 Page 2 of 2


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Review of "Mathematical Models for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Essential Tools for Control and Elimination, Part B" Edited by Maria-Gloria Basáñez and Roy M. Anderson.

Review of "Mathematical Models for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Essential Tools for Control and Elimination, Part B" Edited by Maria-Gloria Basáñez and Roy M. Anderson.

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