Mathematical models and Wildlife diseases: tecniques of parameters estimation for nematodes infections

Abstract

The use of mathematical models in the study of wild host-nematodes interaction is still limited since the estimate of the numerical values of many parameters of the models are usually difficult to be quantified empirically. In this paper we present a technique of parameter estimation based on a mathematical model for macroparasitic infectionsusing a Bayesian updating method. As a case- study we considered a Trichostrongylidae, principally Teladorsagia circumcinta ,infection in a chamois population (Rupicapra rupicapra L.). Using these estimates a value of the basicreproductionratio (R0) equal to 2.4 was obtained.