Many parasites exhibit antigenic variation within their hosts. We use mathematical models to investigate the dynamical interaction between an antigenically varying parasite and the host's immune system. The models incorpo- rate antigenic variation in the parasite population and the generation of immune responses directed against (i) antigens specific to individual parasite variants and (ii) antigens common to all the parasite variants. Analysis of the models allows us to evaluate the relative importance of variant- specific and cross-reactive immune responses in controlling the parasite.
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