Mathematical Modelling and Tuberculosis: Advances in Diagnostics and Novel Therapies

Figure 1

A simple epidemiological model of TB. Uninfected individuals that are exposed to TB can become infected with TB, which can result in either a long-standing infection that is asymptomatic and noninfectious (latent TB) or progress at some point (“reactivation”) to a condition that is infectious and generally symptomatic (active TB). Detection and effective treatment can cure active TB. For simplicity, some other important features of natural history of TB are not shown here (but are generally included in compartmental models of TB), including reinfection, spontaneous resolution (“self-cure”), and mortality.