New publication on the common cold: How exposure frequency may shape disease burden (PLOS ONE)

A team of the IMB (Sebastian Gerdes, Michael Rank, Ingmar Glauche and Ingo Roeder) has published a new study titled “Impact of exposure frequency on disease burden of the common cold – A mathematical modeling perspective”in PLOS ONE..

In this work, the team developed two complementary mathematical models—an ordinary differential equation model at the population level and an individual-based model—to examine whether more frequent exposures to common cold viruses can, under certain conditions, reduce the overall burden of disease over time. The findings suggest that, for specific combinations of virus and host parameters, repeated immune stimulation through more frequent exposures can be associated with lower net symptom burden, offering a fresh perspective on the interplay between contacts, immunity, and mild but ubiquitous infections such as the common cold.

The article is open access and can be accessed here: https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0334527.