title: Satellite Hyperspectral Imagery to Support Tick-Borne Infectious Diseases Surveillance.
abstract: This study proposed the use of satellite hyperspectral imagery to support tick-borne infectious diseases surveillance based on monitoring the variation in amplifier hosts food sources. To verify this strategy, we used the data of the human rickettsiosis occurrences in southeastern Brazil, region in which the emergence of this disease is associated with the rising capybara population. Spatio-temporal analysis based on Monte Carlo simulations was used to identify risk areas of human rickettsiosis and hyperspectral moderate-resolution imagery was used to identify the increment and expansion of sugarcane crops, main food source of capybaras. In general, a pixel abundance associated with increment of sugarcane crops was detected in risk areas of human rickettsiosis. Thus, the hypothesis that there is a spatio-temporal relationship between the occurrence of human rickettsiosis and the sugarcane crops increment was verified. Therefore, due to the difficulty of monitoring locally the distribution of infectious agents, vectors and animal host's, satellite hyperspectral imagery can be used as a complementary tool for the surveillance of tick-borne infectious diseases and potentially of other vector-borne diseases.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Polo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Bahia
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Labruna
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012282:Rickettsia Infections; D031786:Saccharum; D063809:Satellite Imagery / Q000379:methods*; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases