Abstract
This study proposed the use of satellite hyperspectral imagery to support tick-borne infectious diseases surveillance based on monitoring the variation in amplifier hosts food sources. To verify this strategy, we used the data of the human rickettsiosis occurrences in southeastern Brazil, region in which the emergence of this disease is associated with the rising capybara population. Spatio-temporal analysis based on Monte Carlo simulations was used to identify risk areas of human rickettsiosis and hyperspectral moderate-resolution imagery was used to identify the increment and expansion of sugarcane crops, main food source of capybaras. In general, a pixel abundance associated with increment of sugarcane crops was detected in risk areas of human rickettsiosis. Thus, the hypothesis that there is a spatio-temporal relationship between the occurrence of human rickettsiosis and the sugarcane crops increment was verified. Therefore, due to the difficulty of monitoring locally the distribution of infectious agents, vectors and animal host’s, satellite hyperspectral imagery can be used as a complementary tool for the surveillance of tick-borne infectious diseases and potentially of other vector-borne diseases.
Highlights
Active disease surveillance, which involves searching for evidence of disease through routine and monitoring in endemic areas, could help prevent an outbreak, or slow transmission at an earlier stage of an epidemic [1]
To support the Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) surveillance, we suggest a methodology based on the spatio-temporal monitoring of the increment and expansion of sugarcane crops, main food source for capybaras in the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil
To verify if is possible to anticipate the occurrence of tick-borne infectious diseases using the satellite hyperspectral methodology proposed, which is based on monitoring the variation in amplifier hosts food sources, we used the data of the BSF occurrences in the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, region in which the emergence of this disease is associated with the rising capybara population
Summary
Active disease surveillance, which involves searching for evidence of disease through routine and monitoring in endemic areas, could help prevent an outbreak, or slow transmission at an earlier stage of an epidemic [1]. Due to the spatial expansion of emerging vectorborne diseases and the difficulty to monitor locally the presence of infectious agents, their vectors and their hosts, epidemiologists are adopting new remote sensing techniques to predict vector habitats based on the identification, characterization and management of environmental variables such as temperature, humidity and land cover type [1, 2] Based on this strategy, satellite imagery such as those from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Landsat, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), have been used to propose preventive strategies for mosquito-borne diseases [3,4,5,6,7]. PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0143736 November 24, 2015
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