Rhinovirus Attaches to Nasal Epithelium — 3D
A three-dimensional model of the nasal passage: epithelial cells are arranged in rings around a cylindrical tube, and rhinovirus particles drift, attach and spread exactly as timed by the same viral-load and immune-response equations as the 2D timeline.
- 1–3: Incubation period (days)
- ICAM-1: Receptor used (majority of serotypes)
- Day 0: Onset marker on the 3D tube
Viral entry
Virus particles fall through the tube interior and bind to the nearest unclcleared epithelial cell once within range, matching the 2D model's attachment logic in three dimensions.
Inflammatory Cytokines Trigger Congestion
Infected cells emit expanding cytokine rings, oriented to face outward from the tube wall, at a rate driven by the same symptom-severity curve.
Symptom Severity Peaks Days 2–4
Viral load and symptom severity reach their maximum in the shared computeMetrics(day, immuneStrength) formula, visible on the floating 3D curve panel beside the tube.
Immune Cells Begin Clearing the Virus
Neutrophil/macrophage spheres patrol the 3D volume and converge on infected cells, clearing them at the same rate the 2D simulator uses.
Symptoms Resolve by Days 7–10
As immune activity declines after its peak, cleared (green) cells dominate the tube and viral/symptom curves fall to baseline.