On the dynamics of radially symmetric granulomas

A granuloma is a collection of macrophages that contains bacteria or other foreign substances that the bodyʼs immune response is unable to eliminate. In this paper we present a simple mathematical model of radially symmetric granuloma dynamics. The model consists of a coupled system of two semi-linear parabolic equations for the macrophage density, and the bacterial density. The boundary of the granuloma is free. This simple framework makes it possible to conduct a mathematical analysis of the system dynamics. In particular, we show that the model system has a unique solution, and that, depending on the biological parameters; the bacterial load either disappears over time or persists. We use numerical methods to establish the existence of stationary solutions and examine how a stationary solution changes with the reproductive rate of the bacteria. These simulations show that the structure of the granuloma breaks down as the reproductive rate of the bacteria increases.