title: Struggle for space: viral extinction through competition for cells.
abstract: The design of protocols to suppress the propagation of viral infections is an enduring enterprise, especially hindered by limited knowledge of the mechanisms leading to viral extinction. Here we report on infection extinction due to intraspecific competition to infect susceptible hosts. Beneficial mutations increase the production of viral progeny, while the host cell may develop defenses against infection. For an unlimited number of host cells, a feedback runaway coevolution between host resistance and progeny production occurs. However, physical space limits the advantage that the virus obtains from increasing offspring numbers; thus, infection clearance may result from an increase in host defenses beyond a finite threshold. Our results might be relevant to devise improved control strategies in environments with mobility constraints or different geometrical properties.
authors.affiliation: Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos, Departamento de Matemáticas, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganés, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cuesta
authors.forename: Jacobo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aguirre
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Capitán
authors.forename: Susanna C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Manrubia
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D056265:Microbial Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D014775:Virus Activation / Q000502:physiology*; D038301:Virus Inactivation