MATHEMATICAL MODEL SOFTWARE FOR LYME DISEASE

ENTOMOLOGIC RISK IN LYME DISEASE DEPENDS UPON THE ABUNDANCE OF INFECTED IXODES TICKS. USING THE RESERVOIR POTENTIAL EQUATION AS A STARTING FRAMEWORK, WE WILL DEVELOP A PERSONAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE PACKAGE TO IDENTIFY THE VERTEBRATE SOURCES OF INFECTED TICKS AND TO SIMULATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENTOMOLOGIC RISK. SUCH A MODEL WILL SERVE AS THE FIRST PHASE IN DEVELOPING A MORE COMPREHENSIVE TICK POPULATION DYNAMIC/SPIROCHETE TRANSMISSION MODEL. OUR PC SOFTWARE SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE GENERAL ACCESS TO THE COMPLEX AND DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS THAT OCCUR IN THE NATURAL HISTORY OF LYME DISEASE SPIROCHETE TRANSMISSION, AND THUS, SHOULD PROVE USEFUL IN DIRECTING NEW RESEARCH AND IN PREDICTING RISK.