| Abstract | We present a mathematical model that describes the interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the immune response against it. One of the characteristics of Mycobacterium infection is the replication of the bacteria inside alveolar macrophages, which shows that tuberculosis is the prototype of infection that requires a cellular immune response for its control. In the majority of cases the immune response results in the suppression of mycobacterial infection, but does not completely eradicate it. From the model we assess the effects of the granuloma formation during the initial phase of infection, which can predict future reactivation of tuberculosis. |
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