Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Survival Probability Of Beneficial De Novo Mutations In Budding Viruses, With An Emphasis On Influenza A Viral Dynamics, Jennifer Ns Reid

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A deterministic model is developed of the within-host dynamics of a budding virus, and coupled with a detailed life-history model using a branching process approach to follow the fate of de novo beneficial mutations affecting five life-history traits: clearance, attachment, eclipse, budding, and cell death. Although the model can be generalized for any given budding virus, our work was done with a major emphasis on the early stages of infection with influenza A virus in human populations. The branching process was then interleaved with a stochastic process describing the disease transmission of this virus. These techniques allowed us to predict …