THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HEARTWATER - ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF ENDEMIC STABILITY

Although heartwater (Cowdria ruminantium infection) is one of the most economically important tick-borne diseases of sub-Saharan Africa, its epidemiology has remained poorly understood until recently. New data, suggesting that heartwater is present in an endemically stable stare in much of sub-Saharan Africa and demonstrating vertical transmission of Cowdria ruminantium in the field, have altered previously accepted views on heartwater epidemiology. In this paper, Sharon Deem and colle agues present an overview of the epidemiology of heartwater based on r ecent studies, discuss the factors that make endemic stability possibl e, make recommendations for future directions in research, and provide a foundation for the development of epidemiological models.