Issue |
Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys.
Volume 47, Number 3, September 2009
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 31401 | |
Number of page(s) | 6 | |
Section | Biophysics and Biosensors | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap/2009098 | |
Published online | 12 June 2009 |
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap/2009098
Viral mutation and its influence in the time evolution of the immunizations
1
Embrapa Informática Agropecuária, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, EMBRAPA, Caixa Postal 6041, 13083-886 Campinas, Brazil
2
Departamento de Informática em Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Brazil
3
Departamento de Medicina Social, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, Brazil
Corresponding author: acastro@cnptia.embrapa.br
Received:
24
September
2008
Revised:
10
February
2009
Accepted:
27
March
2009
Published online:
12
June
2009
In this paper, we study the behavior of immune memory against antigenic mutation. Using a dynamic model proposed by one of the authors in a previous study (A. de Castro [Phys. J. Appl. Phys. 33, 147 (2006) and Simul. Mod. Pract. Theory. 15, 831 (2007)]), we have performed simulations of several inoculations, where in each virtual sample the viral population undergoes mutations. Our results suggest that the sustainability of the immunizations is dependent on viral variability and that the memory lifetimes are not random, what contradicts what was suggested by Tarlinton et al. [Curr. Opin. Immunol. 20, 162 (2008)]. We show that what may cause an apparent random behavior of the immune memory is the antigenic variability.
PACS: 05.45.Ra – Coupled map lattices / 87.10.-e – General theory and mathematical aspects / 87.18.Vf – Systems biology / 05.45.-a – Nonlinear dynamics and chaos
© EDP Sciences, 2009
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