Schematic of the three main model structures: (i) target cell limited; (ii) target cells and T cells; and (iii) target cells, T cells, and antibodies.

Virion shapes (V) represent infectious virus and circles represent distinct cell populations i.e. general susceptible lymphocytes (S), infected lymphocytes (I), and MV-specific activated T lymphocytes (A). Typical transitions of virion and cell dynamics are depicted by arrows and the constant biological parameters governing each transition are described by the corresponding text. The basic structure of model (i) is captured by the thin black arrows connecting all virion and cell populations. Model (ii) is obtained by the addition of T cell killing (red lightning bolt), and model (iii) is obtained by the addition of T cell killing and antibody killing (yellow lightning bolt). Additional functions governing the temporal evolution of T-cell activation and lymphocyte proliferation are discussed in the main text.