A Mathematical Model for the Macrophage Response to Respiratory Viral Infection in Normal and Asthmatic Conditions.
Respiratory viral infections are common in the general population and one of the most important causes of asthma aggravation and exacerbation. Despite many studies, it is not well understood how viral infections cause more severe symptoms and exacerbations in asthmatics. We develop a mathematical model of two types of macrophages that play complementary roles in fighting viral infection: classically [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] and alternatively activated macrophages [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]. [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] destroy infected cells and tissues to remove viruses, while [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] repair damaged tissues. We show that a higher viral load or longer duration of infection provokes a stronger immune response from the macrophage system. By adjusting the parameters, we model the differences in response to respiratory viral infection in normal and asthmatic subjects and show how this skews the system toward a response that generates more severe symptoms in asthmatic patients.
['Lee|Junehyuk|J|http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3958-0172', 'Adler|Frederick R|FR|', 'Kim|Peter S|PS|']
D001249:Asthma D006801:Humans D008262:Macrophage Activation D008264:Macrophages D055641:Mathematical Concepts D018448:Models, Immunological D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections D013997:Time Factors D019562:Viral Load D014777:Virus Diseases
Macrophage Asthma Exacerbation Mathematical immunology Respiratory tract virus