Influenza

Question 1

What are some common features of the influeneza virus?

Answer 1

Envelope made of glycoproteins and derived from host cell

Single stranded RNA sense negative

Question 2

What is influenza A?

Answer 2

A bird virus that can cause epidemics and pandemics, defined by the surface glycoproteins
HEMAGLUTININ and NEURAMINDASE
8 genes and 10 viral proteins

Question 3

What is influenza b?

Answer 3

A human virus, that will not cause pandemics.

One one kind of H and N

Question 4

What does hemaglutinin and neuraminidase do? What is M2 protein?

Answer 4

Hemaglutinin: attaches virus to SIALIC ACID on cell membrane
Neuraminidase: Cleaves H from sialic acid as virus leaves.
M2 protein is an ion channel that opens viral core

Question 5

What drugs can be used to treat influenza?

Answer 5

amantidine (M protein inibitors) and oseltamivir (neuramindase inh.)

Question 6

How is influenza spread?

Answer 6

Droplet (

Question 7

How does influenza do harm?

Answer 7

degrades epitelial cells, and os rapid onset. cytokine storms can cause death

Question 8

How do we vaccinate for influenza?

Answer 8

H and N genes of expected strain placed in non pathogenic virus. (SEED virus)
Trivalent

Question 9

What is antigen drift?

Answer 9

Minor changes in antigens, occurring continually

Question 10

What is antigen shift?

Answer 10

When H and N proteins are abruptly introduced.

e.g. When another A virus leaps from a species to humans. (there are for example 16 diff H’s)