A Computational Model of Bacterial Population Dynamics in Gastrointestinal Infections in Mice.

The complex interplay of a pathogen with its virulence and fitness factors, the host's immune response, and the endogenous microbiome determine the course and outcome of gastrointestinal infection. The expansion of a pathogen within the gastrointestinal tract implies an increased risk of developing severe systemic infections, especially in dysbiotic or immunocompromised individuals. We developed a mechanistic computational model that calculates and simulates such scenarios, based on an ordinary differential equation system, to explain the bacterial population dynamics during gastrointestinal infection.