Using Mathematical Model to Depict the Immune Response to Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Abstract

A simplified mathematical model of immune responds to Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is presented. This focuses on the control of the infection by the interferons, the innate and adaptive immunity. The model was compartmentalized as appropriate and the resulting model equations were solved numerically. A mathematical analysis of the model shows that both disease-free and endemic equilibrium point exist and we derive conditions for their stability. We perform sensitivity analysis on the model parameters, to account for the variability and speed of adaptation.