Epidemic spread in adaptive networks with multitype agents

Abstract

In this paper we study the epidemic spread in adaptive networks with multitype agents. We assume that the infection probability as well as the rewiring probability between agents is type-dependent. Under this assumption we analyze a system of M-type networks with mean-field approximation. These general expressions apply to networks with various choices of infection mechanisms and rewiring rules. We explicitly evaluate the infection level for two-type networks with intratype/intertype infecting and rewiring and investigate their impacts on the epidemic threshold. By plotting the bifurcation diagram for various parameters, we find a bistability region where both the disease-free state and the endemic state co-exist for appropriate rewiring dynamics. The area of each phase depends on the corresponding interaction modes. We show that consistency between infecting and rewiring modes speeds up the disease spread, while inconsistency contributes to halting the outbreak.