2 RNA virus: influenza + COVID-19

Question 1

what type of virus is influenza?

Answer 1

• spherical
• enveloped
• negative strand RNA genome
• 8 genes which code for 11 proteins

Question 2

what are the different influenza viruses?

Answer 2

• influenza A = affects mainly animals, undergoes atigenic drift + shift
• influenza B = only affects humans and causes antigenic drift
• influenza C = affects humans and pigs, undergoes antigenic drift and produces mild disease

Question 3

what is antigenic drift and shift?

Answer 3

antigenic drift = drift consists of small changes (or mutations) in the genes of influenza viruses that can lead to changes in the surface proteins of the virus = doesnt cause changes in viral subtype

antigenic shift = shift is an abrupt, major change in a flu A virus, resulting in new HA and/or new HA and NA proteins in flu viruses that infect humans = causes changes in viral subtype

Question 4

what antigens allow for antigenic drift + shift?

Answer 4

H - binds to cell of infected person
N - releases viruses from host cell surface

Question 5

what are the innate barriers to prevent E.coli?

Answer 5

1. respiratory epithelial cells covered by thick glycocalyx + tracheobronchial mucus that can trap viral particles
2. ciliated epithelial cells continuously sweep mucus up from lower respiratory tract into upper respiratory tract where it is swallowed

Question 6

what are the symptoms of influenza?

Answer 6

• fever
• headache
• sore throat
• cough
• aches

Question 7

what is incubation period for influenza virus?

Answer 7

1 - 5 days (recover within 7 days)

Question 8

how is influenza diagnosed?

Answer 8

based on symptoms and clinical presentation
or rapid PCR + antigen test

Question 9

how is influenza treated?

Answer 9

vaccination of vulnerable groups

Question 10

what type of virus is SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19?

Answer 10

coronaviridae which are large, enveloped, pleomorphic particles with a distinctive arrangement of spikes projecting from their surfaces
contains a positive single stranded RNA

Question 11

what causes COVID-19 to have a high mutation rate?

Answer 11

short replication period + use of RdRp (RNA dependent RNA polymerase) which is error prone = hgih mutation rate + multiple variants

Question 12

how is COVID-19 diagnosed?

Answer 12

nasopharyngeal swab which detects viral RNA using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction