An epitope variable-reservoir model for HIV-1 infection

• Autores: Horacio Ortega, Miguel Martín-Landrove
• Localización: Acta Científica Venezolana, ISSN-e 0001-5504, Vol. 55, Nº. 3, 2004, págs. 247-263
• Idioma: español
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • A model of HIV-1 infection based on immunodominance concepts is presented. The model considers not only mutating virions and T-CD4 cells, but also viral reservoirs, such as macrophages and follicular dendritic cells. It also considers strong cytotoxic attack against reservoirs and extra cellular attack on virions, which are both coordinated by T-CD4 cells. As a first case, only one viral variant is dealt with, and approximations were used to obtain a manageable model. A stability criterion was found that marks the transition between progression and regression of the viral infection. This criterion was proven valid for the model without any approximation, i.e., two randomly mutant viral epitopes with two variants each. Data suggest that a) the role played by the reservoirs in the maintenance of the viral infection is a very important one, b) maintaining CTL attack on infected cells facilitates the control of HIV-1 infection, and c) therapy considerations should be addressed to these points.