A Model for HCMV Infection in Immunosuppressed Patients

We propose a model for HCMV infection in healthy and immunosuppressed patients. First, we present the biological model and formulate a system of ordinary differential equations to describe the pathogenesis of primary HCMV infection in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed individuals. We then investigate how clinical data can be applied to this model. Approximate parameter values for the model are derived from data available in the literature and from mathematical and physiological considerations. Simulations with the approximated parameter values demonstrates that the model is capable of describing primary, latent, and secondary (reactivated) HCMV infection. Reactivation simulations with this model provide a window into the dynamics of HCMV infection in (D-R+) transplant situations, where latently-infected recipients (R+) receive transplant tissue from HCMV-naive donors (D-).