Influenza

• Influenza is an enveloped ss RNA virus
• Flu Type: A

  leads to epi- and pan-demics. has animals reservoirs
• Flu Type: B

  lead ti epidemics, no animal reservoir
• Flu Type: C

  minor respiratory disease
• Hemaggluatin binds to the poly sacch. with (galactose)

  sialic acid residues
• Types of residues determines how it binds to specific hosts.
• Agglutination linked to A2 and 6 receptors
• Attachment: heme-aggluination and sialic acid on glycoproteins
• Flu incubates for 1-3 days
• Flu incubates in the epithelial cells in the respiratory tract
• Flu causes the necrosis and sloughing of cells
• Flu is transmitted by aerosols
• Flu causes fever, malaise, and non-productive cough
• Treated with amantidine and rimantidine
• Zanamivir is an NA inhibitor
• Antigenic drift: there was a change in the H and N proteins gradually over time
• Antigenic shift happens with the recombination of viruses
• Flu transmitted by aerosol, incubates for 1-3 days, recovers in 1 week
• Flu spikes during the coldest months of the year
• Amantadine: inhibits uncoating
• Rimantadine: inhibits uncoating
• Zanamirvir: neuramidase activity
• Flu destroys epithelial cells and mucus secreting cells, makes people more susceptible to secondary infections
• Virus spreads into the lower respiratory tract, shedding of lung cells
• The flu is gram negative