The population dynamics of acquired immunity to helminth infection: experimental and natural transmission

Recently we described a mathematical model of the role of acquired immunity in host-helminth interactions. The model gives a good quantitative description of the results of experiments involving the nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus in laboratory mice. Here we apply the model to the results of two further laboratory studies of the same parasite-host interaction: (i) the repeated experimental infection of a genetically heterogeneous host population, and (ii) the natural transmission of the parasite within mouse populations under different dietary conditions. Numerical simulation again reveals good quantitative agreement between the model predictions and laboratory data. Finally, the model is extended to give a preliminary description of the dynamics of helminth-host interactions of medical and ecological significance in the real world.