Spatial information allows inference of the prevalence of direct cell–to–cell viral infection

Abstract

The role of direct cell–to–cell spread in viral infections—where virions spread between host and susceptible cells without needing to be secreted into the extracellular environment—has come to be understood as essential to the dynamics of medically significant viruses like hepatitis C and influenza. Recent work in both the experimental and mathematical modelling literature has attempted to quantify the prevalence of cell–to–cell infection compared to the conventional free virus route using a variety of methods and experimental data. However, estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and moreover rely on data collected by inhibiting one mode of infection by either chemical or physical ..