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In this paper, we consider the combined effects of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses on the competition dynamics of two Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) strains model. One of strains concerns a relatively slowly replicating and mildly cytopathic virus in the early infection (SIVMneCL8), the other is faster replicating and more cytopathic virus at later stages of the infection (SIVMne170). It is shown that the global dynamics of the ordinary differential equations can be determined by several threshold parameters, and we prove the global stability of the equilibria by rigorous mathematical analysis. To account for a series of infection mechanism leading to viral production, we incorporate time delays in the infection term. Using the methods of constructing suitable Lyapunov functionals and LaSalle’s invariance principle, we obtain the sufficient conditions for the global attractiveness of infection-free equilibrium with both virus strains going extinct, single-infection equilibrium with one of two virus strains out-competing the other one and the two strains coexisting infection equilibrium. We establish that the intracellular delays can destabilize the single-infection equilibrium leading to Hopf bifurcation and periodic oscillations. We show that introduction of immune responses is responsible for the coexistence of two virus strains and the intracellular delays may alter the two-strain competition results. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the theoretical conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, an HIV-1 infection model with saturation incidence and time delay due to the CTL immune response is investigated. By analyzing corresponding characteristic equations, the local stability of each of feasible equilibria and the existence of Hopf bifurcation at the CTL-activated infection equilibrium are established, respectively. By means of Lyapunov functionals and LaSalle’s invariance principle, it is shown that the infection-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable when the basic reproduction ratio is less than unity. When the immune response reproductive ratio is less than unity and the basic reproductive ratio is greater than unity, the CTL-inactivated infection equilibrium of the system is globally asymptotically stable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]