Rhodes C J, Folkard S G, Bianco A E, Anderson R M
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK.
Parasitology. 1997 Mar;114 ( Pt 3):237-43. doi: 10.1017/s0031182096008463.
We present a mathematical model which is used to interpret the dynamics of the immunological response of a mouse host to infection with the filarial worm Onchocerca lienalis. The model mimics changes in worm burden over time post-infection and after reinfection and its behaviour provides a good description of experimental results. Measured production of T-cells and eosinophils is also compared with the predictions of the model. Our results show that the immune response mechanism proposed on the basis of experimental results, involving CD4+ T-cells and eosinophil destruction of the parasite, is supported by the insights gained from the mathematical model. Also, using the parameters estimated to describe the primary infection dynamics, the degree of acquired immunity to secondary infection is also well described by the model. Our analysis highlights the importance of obtaining quantitative measures of the many rate parameters involved in even the simplest interpretations of immunological responses to parasitic infection.
我们提出了一个数学模型，用于解释小鼠宿主对丝状线虫盘尾丝虫感染的免疫反应动态。该模型模拟了感染后及再次感染后蠕虫负荷随时间的变化，其行为很好地描述了实验结果。还将测量的T细胞和嗜酸性粒细胞生成情况与模型预测进行了比较。我们的结果表明，基于实验结果提出的免疫反应机制，即涉及CD4 + T细胞和嗜酸性粒细胞对寄生虫的破坏，得到了数学模型所提供见解的支持。此外，使用估计用于描述初次感染动态的参数，该模型也很好地描述了对二次感染的获得性免疫程度。我们的分析强调了获得定量测量许多速率参数的重要性，即使在对寄生虫感染的免疫反应进行最简单解释时也涉及这些参数。
