The rate of viral transfer between upper and lower respiratory tracts determines RSV illness duration

J Math Biol. 2019 Jul;79(2):467-483. doi: 10.1007/s00285-019-01364-1. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus can lead to serious lower respiratory infection (LRI), particularly in children and the elderly. LRI can cause longer infections, lingering respiratory problems, and higher incidence of hospitalization. In this paper, we use a simplified ordinary differential equation model of viral dynamics to study the role of transport mechanisms in the occurrence of LRI. Our model uses two compartments to simulate the upper respiratory tract and the lower respiratory tract (LRT) and assumes two distinct types of viral transfer between the two compartments: diffusion and advection. We find that a range of diffusion and advection values lead to long-lasting infections in the LRT, elucidating a possible mechanism for the severe LRI infections observed in humans.

Keywords: Advection; Diffusion; Lower respiratory infection; Mathematical model; Respiratory syncytial virus.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Child
  • Diffusion
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Ferrets
  • Humans
  • Markov Chains
  • Models, Biological*
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / pathology*
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / virology
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / isolation & purification
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / pathogenicity*
  • Respiratory System / virology*
  • Time Factors
  • Viral Load
  • Viral Tropism