Baculovirus - Infection model:

By Bailey and Licari

Eqns which are not yet clear

Rate of infection function - n[t,,NV]

The infection is governed by the frequency function n[t,,NV].
where n[t,,NV]t is defined as the number of cells per ml in the time interval (t, t+t) that were
infected with NV no. of virions at time t-
t is the time (can have values starting from 0).
can have the values from 0 to L , where L is the time post infection at which cell lysis occurs.
That means a cell can be infected any no. of times before it lyses.
NV is the no. of virions infecting a cell at a time. It can have values from 0 to NVmax .

Probability function - p[t,NV]

The probabiltiy of NV virions infecting a cell at any time t is given by:-

p[t, NV] =
where [t] =

e- NV
NV!
Vext[t]
N0[t]

Eqn .1

; NV = 0 to NVmax

After calculating the values of p[t,NV], the value of n[t,0,NV]t is given by :-

n[t, 0, NV] t = N0[t] p[t, NV] Eqn .2

where NV = 1 to NVmax
Since cells do not divide after infection, the evolution equation from t to t+t for infected cells is

n[t + t, + t, NV] = n[t, , NV] Eqn .3

Uninfected Cells - N0[t]

The number concentration of uninfected cells at time t is denoted by N0[t] (cells/ml). The differential
equation corresponding to it is:-

N0[t]
t

max
= [t] N0[t] - NV
NV=1 n[t, 0, NV] Eqn .4

where [t] is the specific growth rate h-1 at time ' t '

[t] = max A[t] Eqn .5

NV

A[t] =
where

max t
ky- N0[t] - NV=1
tinf n[,0,NV]

ky

Eqn .6

k is the carrying capacity of the reactor ( a constant); tinf is the time of initial infection
y

Extra cellular Virioins conc. function - Vext[t]

The differential equation describing the change in free virion desnity is:-

Vex[t]
t

max +V [NV]
= NV
kv [t, , NV] n[t, , NV] NV=1 [NV]
V

NVmax
NV n[t, 0, NV] Eqn .7
NV=1

where,
kV is the rate of virion synthesis function given by kv = 0 < [NV] and
kV[t, , NV] = A[t] Eqn .8
where, is a constant (no. of viruses synthesized by a single cell)
and A[t] is given as per Eqn .6

Questions
1. How to expand the second term of the Eqn. 4
Since n[t,0,NV]t is defined as given in Eqn.2 ,but the term n[t,0,NV] is not defined

2. How to expand the integrals in Eqn. 6 (also in Eqn.7)

After replacing n[t,0,NV]t by N0[t] p[t,NV] from Eqn.2 , then we wont be left with any differential
operator t to integrate with.

3. How to expand the first and second terms of the Eqn. 7

In Eqn. 7 , the term n[t,,NV] is used which has not been given any expression or how it is to be
computed.
The term conceptually corresponds to the no. of cells infected with NV virions at time 't-'. So,
can we replace n[t,,NV] with n[t-,0,NV] so that we can use Eqn.2 to expand it? (because
n[t-,0,NV] would mean the same as n[t,,NV], the no. of cells infected with NV virions at time
t-)