01522naa a2200265 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400310006010000180009124501040010926000090021352007320022265000170095465000130097165000170098465000170100165000160101865300180103465300260105265300260107865300260110465300200113070000140115077300920116410492512020-01-15       2009    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 a10.1051/epjap/20090982DOI1 aCASTRO, A. de  aViral mutation and its influence in the time evolution of the immunizations.h[electronic resource]  c2009  aIn this paper, we study the behavior of immune memory against antigenic mutation. Using a dynamic model proposed by one of the authors in a previous study (A. de Castro [Phys. J. Appl. Phys. 33, 147 (2006) and Simul. Mod. Pract. Theory. 15, 831 (2007)]), we have performed simulations of several inoculations, where in each virtual sample the viral population undergoes mutations. Our results suggest that the sustainability of the immunizations is dependent on viral variability and that the memory lifetimes are not random, what contradicts what was suggested by Tarlinton et al. [Curr. Opin. Immunol. 20, 162 (2008)]. We show that what may cause an apparent random behavior of the immune memory is the antigenic variability.  aImmunization  aMutation  aImunização  aInoculação  aSimulação  aImmune memory  aMemória imunológica  aModelo de bit-strings  aMutação antigênica  aMutação viral1 aALVES, D.  tThe European Physical Journal Applied Physicsgv. 27, n. 3, p. 31401-p1-31406-p5, 2009.