Source-Sink Dynamics in a Two-Patch SI Epidemic Model with Life Stages and No Recovery from Infection.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of a two-patch, two-life stage SI model without recovery from infection, focusing on the dynamics of disease spread and host population viability in natural populations. The model, inspired by real-world ecological crises like the decline of amphibian populations due to chytridiomycosis and sea star populations due to Sea Star Wasting Disease, aims to understand the conditions under which a sink host population can present ecological rescue from a healthier, source population. Mathematical and numerical analyses reveal the critical roles of the basic reproductive numbers of the source and sink populations, the maturation rate, and the dispersal rate of juveniles in determining population outcomes.

A nonlinear relapse model with disaggregated contact rates: Analysis of a forward-backward bifurcation.

Throughout the progress of epidemic scenarios, individuals in different health classes are expected to have different average daily contact behavior. This contact heterogeneity has been studied in recent adaptive models and allows us to capture the inherent differences across health statuses better. Diseases with reinfection bring out more complex scenarios and offer an important application to consider contact disaggregation.