JOINT MATHEMATICS COLLOQUIUM

UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY


Department of Mathematics

University of Idaho


Fall 2014

Thursday,  October 30, 3:30-4:20 pm, room TLC 145

Refreshments in Brink 305 at 3:00 pm

Modeling Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Infection:
Virus Dynamics, Immune Control and Escape

 

Elissa Schwartz



  Department of Mathematics
Washington State University

Abstract
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV) is a retrovirus that establishes a persistent infection in horses and ponies.  The virus is in the same lentivirus subgroup that includes human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The similarities between these two viruses make the study of the immune response to EIAV relevant to research on HIV. I will present mathematical models of within-host EIAV infection dynamics that include immune responses. Models are fit to data from horses with severe combined immunodeficiency to estimate viral dynamic parameters. Analysis of the models yields results on thresholds that would be necessary for immune responses to successfully control infection.  Furthermore, model results predict the conditions under which multiple competing strains coexist or a subdominant viral strain escapes antibody neutralization and dominates the infection.  Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the results. These findings have the potential to lead to immunological control measures for lentiviral infection.