Figure 3
Antiviral modes of action. Antiviral reducing (left) the virus entry rate \(\beta\), (centre) the probability of a successful cell infection post virus entry \(\gamma\), or (right) the virus production rate p. If an antiviral reducing \(\beta\) prevents an infectious virion from entering a cell, the virion could try again later on and succeed. Whereas, if an antiviral reducing \(\gamma\) prevents an infectious virion from completing a successful cell infection post cell entry, the virion would be removed from the overall infection. Also, an antiviral reducing p would reduce virus production rather than totally block it, as would be the case if an antiviral reducing \(\gamma\) prevents a productive cell infection. These differences between the modes of actions previously studied (reducing \(\beta\) or p) and newly considered herein (reducing \(\gamma\)) highlight why the latter might prove advantageous.
