Abstract
Competition within the immune system may degrade immune control of viral infections. We formalize the evolution that occurs in both HIV-1 and the immune system quasispecies. Inclusion of competition in the immune system leads to a novel balance between the immune response and HIV-1, in which the eventual outcome is HIV-1 escape rather than control. The analytical model reproduces the three stages of HIV-1 infection. We propose a vaccine regimen that may be able to reduce competition between cells, potentially eliminating the third stage of HIV-1.
- Received 12 April 2006
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.188106
©2006 American Physical Society