Models of Virulent Phage Growth with Application to Phage Therapy

We modify existing models of bacteriophage growth on an exponentially growing bacterial population by including (1) density dependent phage attack rates and (2) loss to phage due to adsorption to both infected and uninfected bacteria. The effects of these modifications on key pharmacokinetic parameters associated with phage therapy are examined. More general phage growth models are explored which account for infection-age of bacteria, bacteria-phage complex formation, and decoupling phage progeny release from host cell lysis.