Allometric comparison of viral dynamics in the nasal cavity-nasopharyngeal mucus layer of human and rhesus monkey by CFD-HCD approach.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Viral respiratory infections stand as a considerable global health concern, presenting significant risks to the health of both humans and animals. This study aims to conduct a preliminary analysis of the time series of viral load in the nasal cavity-nasopharynx (NC-NP) of the human and rhesus macaque (RM).

METHODS

Taking into account the random uniform distribution of virus-laden droplets with a diameter of 10 μm in the mucus layer, this study applies the computational fluid dynamics-host cell dynamics (CFD-HCD) method to 3D-shell NC-NP models of human and RM, analyzing the impact of initial distribution of droplets on the viral dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), estimating parameters in the HCD model based on experimental data, integrating them into simulations to predict the time series of viral load and cell counts, and being visualized. The reproductive number (R) are calculated to determine the occurrence of infection. The study also considers cross-parameter combinations and cross-experimental datasets to explore potential correlations between the human and RM.

RESULTS

The research findings indicate that the uniform distribution of virus-laden droplets throughout the whole NC-NP models of human and RM is reasonable for simulating and predicting viral dynamics. The visualization results offer dynamic insights into virus infection over a period of 20 days. Studies involving parameter and dataset exchanges between the two species underscore certain similarities in predicting virus infections between the human and RM.

CONCLUSIONS

This study lays the groundwork for further exploration into the parallels and distinctions in respiratory virus dynamics between humans and RMs, thus aiding in making more informed decisions in research and experimentation.