Parametric inference for discretely observed multidimensional diffusions with small diffusion coefficient

31 pages, 2 figures, 2 tablesWe consider a multidimensional diffusion X with drift coefficient b({\alpha},X(t)) and diffusion coefficient {\epsilon}{\sigma}({\beta},X(t)). The diffusion is discretely observed at times t_k=k{\Delta} for k=1..n on a fixed interval [0,T]. We study minimum contrast estimators derived from the Gaussian process approximating X for small {\epsilon}. We obtain consistent and asymptotically normal estimators of {\alpha} for fixed {\Delta} and {\epsilon}\rightarrow0 and of ({\alpha},{\beta}) for {\Delta}\rightarrow0 and {\epsilon}\rightarrow0. We compare the estimators obtained with various methods and for various magnitudes of {\Delta} and {\epsilon} based on simulation studies. Finally, we investigate the interest of using such methods in an epidemiological framework