GLOBAL ANALYSIS OF A VIRAL INFECTION MODEL WITH APPLICATION TO HBV INFECTION

The basic models of within-host viral infection, proposed by Nowak and May2 and Perelson and Nelson,5 have been widely used in the studies of HBV and HIV infections. The basic reproduction numbers of the two models are proportional to the number of total cells of the host's organ prior to the infection. In this paper, we formulate an amended Perelson and Nelson's model with standard incidence. The basic reproduction number of the amended model is independent of total cells of the host's organ. If the basic reproduction number R0 < 1, then the infection-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable and the virus is cleared; if R0 > 1, then the virus persists in the host, and solutions approach either an endemic equilibrium or a periodic orbit. Numerical simulations of this model agree well with the clinical HBV infection data. This can provide a possible interpretation for the viral oscillation behaviors, which were observed in chronic HBV infection patients.