A Biomathematical Model of Pneumococcal Lung Infection and Antibiotic Treatment in Mice.

ABSTRACT: Pneumonia is considered to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The outcome depends on both, proper antibiotic treatment and the effectivity of the immune response of the host. However, due to the complexity of the immunologic cascade initiated during infection, the latter cannot be predicted easily. We construct a biomathematical model of the murine immune response during infection with pneumococcus aiming at predicting the outcome of antibiotic treatment. The model consists of a number of non-linear ordinary differential equations describing dynamics of pneumococcal population, the inflammatory cytokine IL-6, neutrophils and macrophages fighting the infection and destruction of alveolar tissue due to pneumococcus. Equations were derived by translating known biological mechani

SUBMITTER: Schirm S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4873198 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature