Dayat Hidayat, Ilham Saiful Fauzi, Nuning Nuraini
The immune response plays a crucial role in eliminating dengue virus infection from the human body. Both humoral and cellular immune responses are naturally involved in combating the virus. This study presents a mathematical model that captures the dynamics of humoral and cellular immune responses to dengue virus infection, incorporating key interactions between B cells, T cells, and viral particles. Additionally, the model considers hematocrit level as an indicator of disease severity, which is influenced by the interaction between the virus and immune responses. The basic reproduction number is derived, and the existence of equilibrium points are analyzed. Numerical simulations show that hematocrit levels can increase by up to 30% from the normal level and peak approximately two days after the peak of viremia. The results also indicate that although humoral and cellular responses activate together, the humoral response acts earlier as the first line of defense. The insights from this research enhance understanding of immune dynamics in dengue infection and support the development of targeted clinical interventions. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
Department of Mathematics Education, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia; Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Purdue University, West Lafayette, United States; Department of Accounting, Politeknik Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Research Center, Politeknik Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Mathematics, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia; Center for Mathematical Modeling and Simulation, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia