Respiratory Viruses Flashcards
1
Q
what is the difference between antigenic shift and drift?
A
antigenic shift is a sudden appearance of a new virus (usually new H and N)
drift is the inherent viral change interplay with host selection pressures (typically seen late in seasonal epidemics)
2
Q
what is the possible treatment for RSV?
A
ribavirin is occasionally used
it is a nucleoside inhibitor
3
Q
what was the greatest risk factor for severe resp disease associated with 2009 H1N1?
age > 70 BMI <20 staph aureus colonisation pregnancy previous treatment with tamiflu
A
of this list, pregnancy
pandemic flu is usually an infant disease
also a disease of the obese
staph colonisation is not important
prev tamiflu treatment predisposes to resistance, but NOT severity
