QUT QUT ePrints

A Hybrid CA-PDE Model of Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection in the Female Genital Tract

Mallet, Daniel G. and Heymer, Kel J. and Wilson, David P. (2008) A Hybrid CA-PDE Model of Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection in the Female Genital Tract. In Proceedings 6th International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Zurich.

Full text available as:
PDF (Author version) - Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or other PDF viewer.

Abstract

Chlamydia trachomatis is amongst the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world and when left untreated, may lead to serious sequelae particularly in women such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Currently, most mathematical modelling in the literature regarding Chlamydia is based on time dependent differential equations. The serious pathology associated with C. trachomatis occurs when the chlamydial infection ascends to the upper genital tract. But no modelling study has investigated the important spatial aspects of the disease. In this work, we include spatiotemporal considerations of the progression of chlamydial infection in the genital tract. This novel direction is achieved using cellular automata modelling with probabilistic decision processes. In this presentation, the modelling strategy will be described, as well as its relationship with existing models and the advances in understanding that are achieved with such a model. Such an approach provides valuable insights into disease progression and will lead to experimentally testable predictions and a basis for further investigation in this area.

Item Type:Conference Paper
Status:Unpublished
Subjects:230000 Mathematical Sciences > 239900 Other Mathematical Sciences > 239901 Biological Mathematics
230000 Mathematical Sciences > 230100 Mathematics
230000 Mathematical Sciences
230000 Mathematical Sciences > 239900 Other Mathematical Sciences
230000 Mathematical Sciences > 230100 Mathematics > 230199 Mathematics not elsewhere classified
ID Code:12623
Deposited By:Mallet, Daniel Gordon
Deposited On:25 February 2008
Alternative Locations:http://www.iciam07.ch/
Copyright Owner:Copyright 2008 (please consult author)