infection disease dynamics; clinical epidemiology; sexually transmitted infections; chlamydia infections; prevention
Krauer F., Gsteiger S., Low N., Hansen C. H., Althaus C. L. (2016), Heterogeneity in District-Level Transmission of Ebola Virus Disease during the 2013-2015 Epidemic in West Africa, in
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 10(7), e0004867.
Althaus C. L., Low N., Musa E. O., Shuaib F., Gsteiger S. (2015), Ebola virus disease outbreak in Nigeria: Transmission dynamics and rapid control, in
Epidemics, 11, 80-84.
D'Addario Maddalena, Scott Pippa, Redmond Shelagh, Low Nicola (2014),
HPV vaccines: systematic review of literature on alternative vaccination schedules Report on a two doses vs. three doses schedule, World Health Organization, Geneva.
Gottlieb Sami L, Low Nicola, Newman Lori M, Bolan Gail, Kamb Mary L, Broutet Nathalie (2014), Toward global prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs): the need for STI vaccines, in
Vaccine, 32(14), 1527-1535.
Heijne Janneke C, Herzog Sereina A, Althaus Christian L, Low Nicola, Kretzschmar Mirjam (2013), Case and partnership reproduction numbers for a curable sexually transmitted infection, in
Journal of Theoretical Biology, 331, 38-47.
Herzog Sereina A, Heijne Janneke C, Scott P, Althaus Christian L, Low Nicola (2013), Direct and indirect effects of screening for Chlamydia trachomatis on the prevention of pelvic inflammatory disease: A mathematical modelling study, in
Epidemiology, 24(6), 854-862.
Heijne Janneke Cornelia Maria, Herzog Sereina Annik, Althaus Christian Lorenz, Tao Guoyu, Kent Charlotte Kathleen, Low Nicola (2013), Insights into the timing of repeated testing after treatment for Chlamydia trachomatis: data and modelling study., in
Sexually transmitted infections, 89(1), 57-62.
Low Nicola, Heijne Janneke Cornelia Maria, Herzog Sereina Annik, Althaus Christian Lorenz (2013), Reinfection by untreated partners of people treated for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Mathematical modelling study, in
Sexually Transmitted Infections, 90(3), 254-256.
Herzog S. A., Heijne J. C., Althaus C. L., Low N. (2012), Describing the progression from Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae to pelvic inflammatory disease: systematic review of mathematical modeling studies, in
Sex Transm Dis, 39(8), 628-637.
Althaus Christian L., Heijne Janneke C. M., Herzog Sereina A., Roellin Adrian, Low Nicola (2012), Individual and Population Level Effects of Partner Notification for Chlamydia trachomatis, in
PLOS ONE, 7(12), e51438.
Althaus CL, Heijne JCM, Low N (2012), Towards More Robust Estimates of the Transmissibility of Chlamydia trachomatis, in
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES, 39(5), 402-404.
Background: Sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common notifiable condition in countries such as Switzerland, Sweden and the USA. Insights into the dynamics of existing and new sexually transmitted infections and robust information about the expected impact of feasible and achievable control interventions are urgently needed. Goals: The overall goal of the project is to integrate epidemiological expertise and mathematical modelling to improve the utility of modelling for public health decision making in two main areas: Objective 1. Improve parameter estimates in C. trachomatis infection transmission system. Objective 2. Predicting the effects of new and existing interventions. Methods of investigation: This project involves collaborations with several international researchers. For each objective we define one or more epidemiological datasets and corresponding mathematical modelling analysis and sensitivity analyses. Specific studies are: Objective 1.1 Determine the transmissibility of C. trachomatis per episode of unprotected heterosexual intercourse using prospective cohort data from young women and their partners with genotyping and chlamydia organism load data incorporated into a deterministic model; 1.2 Determine the relationship between lower genital tract C. trachomatis infection and clinical presentation of pelvic inflammatory disease based on case-control data about the time interval between new sexual partnerships and the onset of symptoms in women with chlamydial pelvic inflammatory disease or clinic attendance in those without; 2.1 To determine the most effective and achievable chlamydia screening strategies based on empirical data from four different interventions incorporated in a pair model; 2.2 To investigate the transmission dynamics and effects of screening for M. genitalium using prospective data about prevalence, persistence and pelvic inflammatory disease incidence in women with and without infection; 2.3 To investigate the potential effects of vaccination against C. trachomatis using data and model outputs from the earlier objectives in a pair model. Timescale: May 2011 to Apr 2014Importance and Impact: The proposed EpideMMIC project will consolidate earlier achievements in integration of epidemiology and mathematical modelling by a) increasing the robustness of model predictions about the effects real life of chlamydia screening and partner notification interventions, b) producing new insights into the effects of chlamydia infection and control and M. genitalium infection dynamics, and c) integrating the outputs of project components to investigate the potential effects of a future chlamydia vaccine. We have established the Swiss Meeting for Infectious Disease Dynamics (inaugural meeting at the University of Bern in May 2010), to establish a networking forum for infectious disease modellers in Switzerland and ensure that these projects and their outputs contribute to infection transmission science in Switzerland and internationally. The EpideMMIC project is particularly relevant in Switzerland now, as a new National Programme for HIV and sexually transmitted infections for 2011-2017 is being launched. The strategy recognises, for the first time, the importance of control strategies for sexually transmitted infections other than HIV.