Models of the within-host dynamics of persistent mycobacterial infections

We use mathematical models to investigate the within-host dynamics of mycobacterial infections. In particular, we investigate the mechanisms by which bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae persist at low densities for extended periods, and attain high densities much later. We suggest that the persistence of bacteria in face of immune pressure may result from the bacteria having a very slow growth rate, or having a dormant stage. We show that whereas these mechanisms may lead to long-term persistence, this will be obtained at relatively low densities. We then suggest that the long-term persistence of bacteria may result in the loss of immunity because of the deletion of specific T-cells arriving from the thymus, and the exhaustion of the specific T-cells as these cells reach the Hayflick limit and die. This loss of immunity will allow the bacteria to attain a high density. We propose experiments capable of testing our models and discuss the implications of the models for the treatment of infected hosts.