Micro 49: Orthomyxoviruses
This episode explores the orthomyxoviruses, the viral family that includes influenza viruses. Drawing from Murray’s Chapter 49, it examines how genome segmentation enables evolutionary change and periodic global outbreaks.
Orthomyxoviruses are enveloped negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses with segmented genomes. This segmentation permits reassortment when multiple strains infect the same host cell - the molecular basis of antigenic shift.
Two key mechanisms define influenza evolution:
* Antigenic drift - gradual mutation of surface glycoproteins
* Antigenic shift - abrupt reassortment…
The skinny
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