Estimating biologically relevant parameters under uncertainty for experimental within-host murine West Nile virus infection

What is it about?

West Nile virus (WNV) causes viral encephalitis in humans, and is related to viruses such as Dengue and Zika that are also of significant public health concern. We have developed a computational method to determine characteristics of WNV infection even in the face of limited experimental data. This could be applicable to other emerging diseases like Zika virus for which there is little data. It may be particularly useful to estimate the potential rate of within-host viral reproduction early in an outbreak in order to assess the epidemic potential of emerging pathogens.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

We have developed a computational method to determine characteristics of WNV infection even in the face of limited experimental data. This could be applicable to other emerging diseases like Zika virus for which there is little data. It may be particularly useful to estimate the potential rate of within-host viral reproduction early in an outbreak in order to assess the epidemic potential of emerging pathogens.