Mechanistic within-host models of the asexual Plasmodium falciparum infection: a review and analytical assessment.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Malaria blood-stage infection length and intensity are important drivers of disease and transmission; however, the underlying mechanisms of parasite growth and the host's immune response during infection remain largely unknown. Over the last 30 years, several mechanistic mathematical models of malaria parasite within-host dynamics have been published and used in malaria transmission models.

Methods

Mechanistic within-host models of parasite dynamics were identified through a review of published literature. For a subset of these, model code was reproduced and descriptive statistics compared between the models using fitted data. Through simulation and model analysis, key features of the models were compared, including assumptions on growth, immune response component

SUBMITTER: Camponovo F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8272282 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature