Evolution of the Flu

Running Head : The Evolution of the Influenza Virus

The Evolution of the Influenza Virus

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The Evolution of the Influenza Virus

Influenza or flu is a highly contagious respiratory disease of mammals and avian species that usually occurs during the fall and winter months and is caused by an RNA virus belonging to the Orthomyxoviridae family (Earn , Dushoff and Levin , 2002 . The capacity of this virus to form new strains by undergoing rapid mutation while at the same time eluding the body 's immune mechanisms - the antibodies , makes it a

major public health problem that is currently managed through annual vaccinations

The flu virus is subdivided into A , B and C types as well as subtypes which can be differentiated by their primary surface proteins . From an epidemiologist 's perspective , Type A is significant due to its presence in various animal species and its capability of going through rapid evolution or antigenic drift and shift (Earn , Dushoff and Levin , 2002 On the other hand , Type B is limited to humans on the whole and remains an essential cause of illness while insufficient knowledge has been generated regarding type C

Being an RNA virus , the influenza virus copies its genetic material in ribonucleic acid , a molecule that is used by most species as messengers in the transcription and transfer of information from DNA in for the production of proteins to occur . As such , RNA is far less stable than DNA , generating about 1 error for every 10 ,000 nucleotides...