Dynamics of HIV infection of CD4\(^ +\) T cells (Q1802910)

The paper examines a model for the interaction of HIV with \(\text{CD4}^ +\) T cells that considers four populations: uninfected T cells, latently infected T cells, actively infected T cells, and free virus. The proposed dynamical model for T-cell depletion due to HIV infection: (a) does not account for the immune response to HIV infection or mechanisms of cell death other than direct HIV-mediating killing, (b) proves that HIV by itself can cause partial \(\text{CD4}^ +\) T-cell depletion in the face of normal T-cell replenishment, and (c) demonstrates that the loss of T cells can take place on a time scale of years, as it is characteristic of the disease process in most HIV-infected individuals. The model exhibits two steady states, an uninfected state in which no virus is present, and an endemically infected state, in which virus and infected T cells are present. The dynamic behaviour of these steady states is examined by differential equations and numerical analysis techniques.