Pneumococcal pneumonia is a leading cause of death and a major source of human
morbidity. The initial immune response plays a central role in determining the course and
outcome of pneumococcal disease. We combine bacterial titer measurements from mice
infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae with mathematical modeling to investigate the
coordination of immune responses and the effects of initial inoculum on outcome. To
evaluate the contributions of individual components, we systematically build a mathematical …