Table 1 Overview and main description of the models. The model description includes the main characteristics of variant or total parasite growth, the stochastic components, and the data used for fitting.

Discrete (2 days time step) or continuous

Discrete

Discrete

Mixed

Discrete

Discrete

Continuous

Patient specific parameters

Yes^*

No

No

No

No

Yes^**

Yes^***

Tracks all parasite variants

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Number of variants at the start of infection

1

–

5

5

5

–

–

Main assumption on variant switching dynamics

Dependent on variant immune response.

Different switching probability for each variant follows geometric distribution

–

Fast and slow switching variants. Independent of immune response, described in [51]

Switching rate per iRBC, thus larger population have higher probability to introduce new variant. Parasites can switch to 7 available variants, out of a total of 50 variants, in each round

Different switching networks are investigated.

Network assumed from [33]

Not explicit

–

Assumed multiplication rates

Different for every variant but constant in time (~ \(\mathcal{N}\left( {\mu _{m} = 16,~\sigma _{m} = 10.4} \right)\))

(For overall parasites) different for every time step, but correlated to previous time step

16 (constant)

16 (constant)

Variant-dependent but constant in time (~ \(\mathcal{N}\left( {\mu _{m} = 16,~\sigma _{m} = 8} \right)\))

Range between 15–50, median 23.91

–

Additional assumptions on growth

–

–

–

–

Dependent on RBC availability

Dependent on RBC availability

Dependent on RBC availability

–

Variability included in the model: stochastic parameters

Multiplication rate, patient specific parameters for the critical densities for innate and general adaptive immune response

Critical densities for innate and general adaptive immune response, and growth rate

Most parameters chosen stochastically (for sensitivity analysis)

Merozoite invasion probability and replication rate, innate and adaptive immune response efficiency and activation threshold, antigenically distinct variant clusters

None

Variability included in the model: probabilistic equations

Effect of immune responses, antibody production, variant switching

Variant switching, effect of variant specific and innate immune response

Falls of immune response due to antigenic switch taken at random

None

Data used for the fitting^a

35 patients¹

90 patients²

Malariatherapy data³

–⁴

122 malariatherapy patients

63 malariatherapy patients⁵