A model of host response to a multi-stage pathogen

TL;DR

This paper presents a mathematical model of how the immune system responds to a pathogen passing through multiple stages, identifying which stages are regulated based on biological parameters and system stability.

Contribution

It introduces a novel model linking pathogen stages, immune regulation, and system stability, revealing how biological parameters influence immune responses.

Findings

The model predicts immune regulation patterns based on pathogen stage order.

System stability determines which pathogen stages are targeted by immune responses.

The approach provides insights into immune system decision-making during infection.

Abstract

We model the immune surveillance of a pathogen which passes through $n$ immunologically distinct stages. The biological parameters of this system induce a partial order on the stages, and this, in turn, determines which stages will be subject to immune regulation. This corresponds to the system's unique asymptotically stable fixed point.