Homogeneous models for sexually transmitted diseases (Q810420)

The authors consider a system of eight ordinary differential equations which describes birth, death, formation of pairs, separation and transmission of a sexually transmitted disease. The recruitment process is coupled to the actual population size. The authors show that there is a noninfected exponentially growing persistent solution which is stable for low rates of pair formation and low infectivity. It is proved that if these parameters are increased, this state may lose stability, and a stable persistent solution describing an infected population bifurcates. The exact bifurcation thresholds are derived in terms of the epidemiologically relevant parameters.