Spatio-temporal modelling of <i>in vitro</i> influenza A virus infection: the impact of defective interfering particles on type I interferon response.

ABSTRACT: Defective interfering particles (DIPs) are incomplete viral genomes that modulate infection by competing with wild-type viruses and activating innate immunity. How DIPs interact with type I interferon (IFN) in spatially structured environments remains unclear. Focusing initially on influenza A, we developed a spatially explicit, stochastic model of in vitro viral infection integrating virus and DIP replication, IFN signalling, and alternative dispersal modes. We find that: (1) our model captures the ring-like and patchy plaque morphologies observed experimentally; (2) IFN production peaks at an intermediate DIP ratio, reflecting a trade-off between early immune activation and sufficient co-infection; and (3) even a small fraction of long-range spread of virus and DIPs escape contain

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12632340 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature