  Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted
infection (STI) in the United States and is major cause of infertility, pelvic
inflammatory disease, and ectopic pregnancy among women. Despite decades of
screening women for Ct, rates continue to increase among them in high prevalent
areas such as New Orleans. A pilot study in New Orleans found approximately 11%
of 14-24 year old of African Americans (AAs) were infected with Ct.
  Our goal is to mathematically model the impact of different interventions for
AA men resident in New Orleans on the general rate of Ct among women resident
at the same region. We create and analyze mathematical models such as
multi-risk and continuous-risk compartmental models and agent-based network
model to first help understand the spread of Ct and second evaluate and
estimate behavioral and biomedical interventions including condom-use,
screening, partner notification, social friend notification, and rescreening.
Our compartmental models predict the Ct prevalence is a function of the number
of partners for a person, and quantify how this distribution changes as a
function of condom-use. We also observe that although increased Ct screening
and rescreening, and treating partners of infected people will reduce the
prevalence, these mitigations alone are not sufficient to control the epidemic.
A combination of both sexual partner and social friend notification is needed
to mitigate Ct.
