Stochastic model for the growth of human immunodeficiency virus in infected individuals.

Ramamurthy, D.; Venkatesan, P.

International Journal of Computer Mathematical Applications; 2012; 6; 79-88.

Abstract: Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) results in severe damage to the immune system and consequent disease (AIDS) after a long and variable incubation period (on average 8-10 years). We outline an explanation based on the dynamics of the interplay between the immune response and the antigenic variation in the virus population and present stochastic models for the interaction between virus replication and immune responses. This paper provides new insights into the relationship between virus load (the abundance of virus in an infected individual) and antigenic diversity. Antigenic variation can increase virus load during infection, but the correlation between load and diversity in comparisons among different infected individuals can be positive or negative depending on whether individuals differ in their cross-reactive or strain-specific immune responses. We derive the model which describes the multiplication process of the virons inside an infected T4 cells based on previous works. A numerical illustration that brings out the impact of the genetic diversity in viral population is also provided.

Keywords: Antigenic diversity; T4 cells; Human immunodeficiency virus; Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; Multiplication process; Stochastic model

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