Stability characterization of a fractional-order viral system with the non-cytolytic immune assumption

Abstract

This article deals with a Caputo fractional-order viral model that incorporates the non-cytolytic immune hypothesis and the mechanism of viral replication inhibition. Firstly, we establish the existence, uniqueness, non-negativity, and boundedness of the solutions of the proposed viral model. Then, we point out that our model has the following three equilibrium points: equilibrium point without virus, equilibrium state without immune system, and equilibrium point activated by immunity with humoral feedback. By presenting two critical quantities, the asymptotic stability of all said steady points is examined. Finally, we examine the finesse of our results by highlighting the impact of fractional derivatives on the stability of the corresponding steady points.