Estimation of infection and recovery rates for highly polymorphic parasites when detectability is imperfect, using hidden Markov models

A Bayesian hierarchical model is proposed for estimating parasitic infection dynamics for highly polymorphic parasites when detectability of the parasite using standard tests is imperfect. The parasite dynamics are modelled as a non‐homogeneous hidden two‐state Markov process, where the observed process is the detection or failure to detect a parasitic genotype. This is assumed to be conditionally independent given the hidden process, that is, the underlying true presence of the parasite, which evolves according to a first‐order Markov chain. The model allows the transition probabilities of the hidden states as well as the detectability parameter of the test to depend on a number of covariates. Full Bayesian inference is implemented using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. The model is applied to a panel data set of malaria genotype data from a randomized controlled trial of bed nets in Tanzanian children aged 6‐30 months, with the age of the host and bed net use as covariates. This analysis confirmed that the duration of infections with parasites belonging to the MSP‐2 FC27 allelic family increased with age. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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