Spatio–temporal modelling of in vitro influenza A virus infection: the impact of defective interfering particles on type I interferon response
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Defective interfering particles (DIPs) are incomplete viral genomes that modulate infection by competing with wild–type viruses and activating innate immunity. How DIPs interact with type I interferon (IFN) in spatially structured environments remains unclear. Focusing initially on influenza A, we developed a spatially explicit, stochastic model of in vitro viral infection integrating virus and DIP replication, IFN signalling, and alternative dispersal modes. We find that: (1) our model captures the ring–like and patchy plaque morphologies observed experimentally; (2) IFN production peaks at an intermediate DIP ratio, reflecting a trade–off between early immune activation and sufficient co–infection; and (3) even a small fraction of long–range spread of virus and DIPs escape containment despite longer IFN ranges; this causes stronger antiviral responses but earlier peaks in lysis at similar levels of cell loss. The model is available as an interactive platform: https://shiny-spatial-infection-app-production.up.railway.app/ .
