Modelling the interaction of influenza virus and its antibody

The influenza virus is a major human health concern. Pre-existing antibody-mediated immunity provide an irreplaceable role in the clearance of influenza virus via multiple mechanisms. Protection against influenza infection can be diminished by a diverse set of neutralisation escape mechanisms and by host exposure history. This study applied mathematical models to experimental data to explain how antibody concentration, viral inoculum size, and antisera-dependent enhancement determine influenza virus infectivity in the respiratory epithelium. This work proposed that antibody-induced bistable viral kinetics and antisera dependent enhancement was responsible for observed influenza A reinfection and vaccine-associated enhanced disease.