Viral Load and Stochastic Mutation in a Monte Carlo Simulation of HIV

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2002

Department

Physics and Astronomy

School

Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Abstract

Viral load is examined, as a function of primary viral growth factor (P,) and mutation, through a computer simulation model for HIV immune response. Cell-mediated immune response is considered on a cubic lattice with four cell types: macrophage (M), helper (H), cytotoxic (C), and virus (V). Rule-based interactions are used with random sequential update of the binary cellular states. The relative viral load (the concentration of virus with respect to helper cells) is found to increase with the primary viral growth factor above a critical value (P,), leading to a phase transition from immuno-competent to immuno-deficient state. The critical growth factor (P,) seems to depend on mobility and mutation. The stochastic growth due to mutation is found to depend non-monotonically on the relative viral load, with a maximum at a characteristic load which is lower for stronger viral growth. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Publication Title

Physica A-Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications

Volume

311

Issue

1-2

First Page

213

Last Page

220

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