It is this stealthy strategy that makes the influenza virus such a serious public health threat. For humans, it is a disaster - both for the individual (who will soon experience chills, body aches, fever, coughing, sneezing, and severe fatigue as the virus spreads to more and more cells and the immune system launches battle against it) and for the community, as the virus spreads, invisibly at first, from victim to victim. It is a brilliant strategy from the virus’s perspective. Influenza virus stores its genome on eight short segments like miniscule chromosomes each of these RNA segments is copied separately and complete sets are then packaged into new protein coats ( Figure 2). Then it hijacks the cell’s own machinery to make more viruses and export them to the cell’s surface. Once the virus binds to a host cell, it tricks the cell into letting it inside. The surface of the virus is studded with proteins that recognize specific chemical compounds on the surface of the cells lining the inside of your nose. Hundreds of thousands of influenza viruses can fit in a single human cell ( Figure 1). To an influenza virus, a human cell is the size of a small city. Learning a little bit about how the virus works will help you understand how it makes you sick and why getting a flu shot is so important. The influenza virus’s life strategy makes it a serious threat, both to individuals and to the community. Influenza is both the name of a disease and the name of the virus that causes it. What is influenza, anyway, and why is it such a big deal? The AAM does not offer medical advice and encourages consumers to be educated and informed when making medical decisions.Ĭontents of the report may be distributed further so long as the authorship of the AAM is acknowledged and this disclaimer is included.ġ. However, the report is not intended to advocate any particular position or action, nor to replace the advice of an individual's health care provider. The reports are reviewed by all participants, and by outside experts, and every effort is made to ensure that the information is accurate and complete.
Through its colloquium program, the AAM draws on the expertise of these fellows to address critical issues in microbiology.įAQ reports are based on the deliberations of 15-20 expert scientists who gather for a day to develop science-based answers to questions the public might have about topics in microbiology. Fellows of the AAM have been elected by their peers in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of microbiology. The American Academy of Microbiology is the honorific branch of the American Society for Microbiology, a non-profit scientific society with almost 40,000 members.
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