Published: Sept. 16, 2016
Event Description:
Amber Smith, Infectious Diseases Department, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Integrative Analysis of Host-Pathogen Interactions During Influenza-Pneumococcal Coinfection
​

Influenza virus infections are often complicated by coinfection with bacterial pathogens, such as pneumococcus. These bacterial coinfections significantly increase influenza-associated morbidity and mortality. The host immune response plays a large role in driving bacterial establishment and the progression to pneumonia. However, it is not well understood how the host response is regulated and how it works to modulate pathogen growth. To better characterize the regulatory mechanisms driving influenza-pneumococcal coinfection, we use an integrative analysis that combines data-driven mathematical models with model-driven experiments. Through this iterative model-data approach, we identified and detailed the nonlinear way in which virus-induced depletion of alveolar macrophages regulates bacterial invasion and can lead to differential dynamics dependent on the time of bacterial acquisition.ÌýWe then utilize this relationÌýto evaluate potential treatment strategies. These results provide insight into the probability of acquiring a coinfection,Ìýthe heterogeneity in outcome, and the use of new therapies that prevent viral-bacterial coinfections.Ìý
Ìý
Location Information:
ÌýÌý()
1111 Engineering DR
Â鶹ӰԺ, CO
Room:Ìý245

ÌýÌý()
1111 Engineering DR
Â鶹ӰԺ, CO
Room:Ìý257: Newton Lab

Contact Information:
Name: Ian Cunningham
Phone: 303-492-4668
Email: amassist@colorado.edu