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701-1708-00L 4 Credits BSC , DR , MSC D-USYS , D-INFK , D-MATH , D-PHYS , D-BIOL , D-BSSE , D-GESS , D-HEST
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Infectious Disease Dynamics

Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Sebastian Bonhoeffer, Prof. Dr. Roland Robert Regös, Dr. Roger Dimitri Kouyos, Dr. Louis Du Plessis
Examiners: Prof. Dr. Sebastian Bonhoeffer, Prof. Dr. Roland Robert Regös, Dr. Roger Dimitri Kouyos, Prof. Dr. Barbora Trubenová, Dr. Louis Du Plessis
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-06-01 11:33:01

Abstract

This course introduces into current research on the population biology of infectious diseases. The course discusses the most important mathematical tools and their application to relevant diseases of human, natural or managed populations.

Objective

Attendees will learn about: * the impact of important infectious pathogens and their evolution on human, natural and managed populations * the population biological impact of interventions such as treatment or vaccination * the impact of population structure on disease transmission Attendees will learn how: * the emergence spread of infectious diseases is described mathematically * the impact of interventions can be predicted and optimized with mathematical models * population biological models are parameterized from empirical data * genetic information can be used to infer the population biology of the infectious disease The course will focus on how the formal methods ("how") can be used to derive biological insights about the host-pathogen system ("about").

Content

After an introduction into the history of infectious diseases and epidemiology the course will discuss basic epidemiological models and the mathematical methods of their analysis. We will then discuss the population dynamical effects of intervention strategies such as vaccination and treatment. In the second part of the course we will introduce into more advanced topics such as the effect of spatial population structure, explicit contact structure, host heterogeneity, and stochasticity. In the final part of the course we will introduce basic concepts of phylogenetic analysis in the context of infectious diseases.

Resources

Lecture Notes

Slides and script of the lecture will be available online.

Literature

The course is not based on any of the textbooks below, but they are excellent choices as accompanying material: * Keeling & Rohani, Modeling Infectious Diseases in Humans and Animals, Princeton Univ Press 2008 * Anderson & May, Infectious Diseases in Humans, Oxford Univ Press 1990 * Murray, Mathematical Biology, Springer 2002/3 * Nowak & May, Virus Dynamics, Oxford Univ Press 2000 * Holmes, The Evolution and Emergence of RNA Viruses, Oxford Univ Press 2009

General Information

Language
English
Levels
BSC , DR , MSC
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
end-of-semester examination
Mode
oral 20 minutes

Registration & Places

Max Places
90
Signup End
28.02.2025
Priority: Registration for the course unit is until 10.02.2025 only possible for the primary target group

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture Infectious Disease Dynamics
  • Mon 10:15-12:00 (CAB G 11)
2 h weekly

Offered In