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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 11: Poster Session I
BP 11.20: Poster
Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 12:30–15:30, P1
Mathematical modelling of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis helminth infection: from single worm motility to tissue load dynamics — •Soham Mukhopadhyay1, Jonathan Pollock2, David Voehringer2, and Vasily Zaburdaev1 — 1Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany — 2Department of Infection Biology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
Helminth infections affect a large proportion of the world's population and cause significant morbidity. There are no vaccines against helminths, and the mechanisms by which the body fights off helminth infections are not well-understood. To better understand the immune system response we aim to develop a mathematical model describing the helminth load in different organs of the host as a function of time. As an experimental system, we use murine helminth infection by N. brasiliensis worms, where primary, secondary, and infections of mice with altered immune systems could be studied. We model the progression of infection as a system of coupled, time-delayed equations which allow us to link the larvae starting the infection on the skin of mice to the number of eggs shed to the environment by adult worms from the intestine and compare the predictions of the model to the data. For a more microscopic insight into the behaviour of larvae at different developmental stages we carry out biophysical characterisation of larval motility in in vitro settings. Combining these results we aim to achieve a quantitative description of the infection progression in the host.