Dynamical analysis of an age-space structured malaria epidemic model

Abstract

In this paper, we will revisit the model studied in Lou and Zhao (J Math Biol 62:543–568, 2011), where the model takes the form of a nonlocal and time-delayed reaction–diffusion model arising from the fixed incubation period. We consider the infection age to be a continuous variable but without the limitation of the fixed incubation period, leading to an age-space structured malaria model in a bounded domain. By performing the elementary analysis, we investigate the well-posedness of the model by proving the global existence of the solution, define the explicit formula of basic reproduction number when all parameters remain constant. By analyzing the characteristic equations and designing suitable Lyapunov functions, we also establish the threshold dynamics of the constant disease-free and positive equilibria. Our theoretical results are also validated by numerical simulations for 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional domains.