Lyme disease is one of the most prevalent and fastest growing vector-borne bacterial illnesses in the United States, with over 25,000 new confirmed cases every year. Humans contract the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi through the bite of the tick Ixodes scapularis. The tick can receive the bacterium from a variety of small mammal and bird species, but the white-footed mouse Peromyscus leucopus is the primary reservoir in the northeastern United States, especially near human settlement. The tick's life cycle and behavior depend greatly on the season, with different stages of tick biting at different times. Reducing the infection in the tick-mouse cycle may greatly lower human Lyme incidence in some areas. However, research on the effects of various mouse-targeted interventions is limited. One particularly promising method involves administering vaccine pellets to white-footed mice through special bait boxes. In this study, we develop and analyze a mathematical model consisting of a system of nonlinear difference equations to understand the complex transmission dynamics and vector demographics in both tick and mice populations. We evaluate to what extent vaccination of white-footed mice can affect Lyme incidence in I. scapularis, and under which conditions this method saves money in preventing Lyme disease. We find that, in areas with high human risk, vaccination can eliminate mouse-tick transmission of B. burgdorferi while saving money.

中文翻译：

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莱姆病蜱鼠传播疫苗接种成本分析。

莱姆病是美国最普遍、增长最快的病媒传播细菌疾病之一，每年新增确诊病例超过 25,000 例。人类通过肩胛硬蜱叮咬感染伯氏疏螺旋体。蜱可以从各种小型哺乳动物和鸟类中接收细菌，但白脚鼠 Peromyscus leucopus 是美国东北部的主要宿主，尤其是靠近人类定居点的地方。蜱虫的生命周期和行为在很大程度上取决于季节，蜱虫叮咬的不同阶段在不同的时间。在某些地区，减少蜱-鼠循环中的感染可能会大大降低人类莱姆病的发病率。然而，关于各种针对小鼠的干预措施效果的研究是有限的。一种特别有前途的方法是通过特殊的诱饵盒向白脚小鼠注射疫苗颗粒。在这项研究中，我们开发并分析了一个由非线性差分方程系统组成的数学模型，以了解蜱和小鼠种群中复杂的传播动力学和矢量人口统计。我们评估了白脚小鼠的疫苗接种可以在多大程度上影响肩胛骨的莱姆病发病率，以及在何种条件下这种方法可以节省预防莱姆病的费用。我们发现，在人类风险高的地区，接种疫苗可以消除伯氏疏螺旋体的鼠蜱传播，同时节省资金。我们开发并分析了一个由非线性差分方程系统组成的数学模型，以了解蜱和小鼠种群中复杂的传播动力学和矢量人口统计。我们评估了白脚小鼠的疫苗接种可以在多大程度上影响肩胛骨的莱姆病发病率，以及在何种条件下这种方法可以节省预防莱姆病的费用。我们发现，在人类风险高的地区，接种疫苗可以消除伯氏疏螺旋体的鼠蜱传播，同时节省资金。我们开发并分析了一个由非线性差分方程系统组成的数学模型，以了解蜱和小鼠种群中复杂的传播动力学和矢量人口统计。我们评估了白脚小鼠的疫苗接种可以在多大程度上影响肩胛骨的莱姆病发病率，以及在何种条件下这种方法可以节省预防莱姆病的费用。我们发现，在人类风险高的地区，接种疫苗可以消除伯氏疏螺旋体的鼠蜱传播，同时节省资金。