Host extinction dynamics in a simple parasite-host interaction model (Q2501457)

By modifying some recent host-parasite models, the authors obtain the following ODE system \[ \left\{\begin{matrix} x'(t) & = & a(x+y)-a(1-\theta)y-cx(x+y)-(d+m)x-b\displaystyle{xy\over x+y},\\ \cr y'(t) & = & -(d+\alpha)y-cy(x+y)+b\displaystyle{xy\over x+y}, \end{matrix}\right. \] where \(x(t)\) and \(y(t)\) represent the densities of susceptible and infected hosts at time \(t\), respectively. By the standard blow-up transformation \((x,y)\rightarrow (u,y)\) with \(u=x/y\), the system can be decoupled so that the first equation becomes a linear equation in \(u\) and the second equation becomes a Bernoulli equation in \(y\). The equations can be solved explicitly, but the asymptotic behavior of the system can be studied without using the explicit form of the solution. The authors provide a complete analysis of the global stability of the system and show that the possibility of host extinction depends on the initial conditions. Some numerical simulation is also presented.