Introduction (p. 1534-1538)
1) How many gene segments do Influenza A viruses have? What is their genome composed of?
2) Where are hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins found in the structure of Influenza A viral particles? What is the function of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase?
3) What do the authors mean by antigenic variation of the HA and NA proteins? What do the authors mean when they state the HA NA classification system for influenza viruses is biologically relevant?
4) HPAI and LPAI are terms to further classify influenza A viruses in birds. What do these terms mean?
5) The authors state HPAI arises in poultry infected by LPAI H5 and H7 viruses from wild birds. Which Influenza A protein is modified during the switch from LPAI to HPAI and how is it modified? Why is the change biologically significant?
6) Have humans been infected by HPAI H5N1? Can the virus spread from person to person? Can H5N1 be spread in mammals via aerosols or respiratory 7) What strain of Influenza A did the researchers use for these studies and why?
influenza A/Indonesia/5/2005
8) What was their goal?
9) What organism did they use for their studies and why?
10) What are alpha-2,3-linked SA receptors and alpha-2,6-linked SA receptors?
11) Why is the difference in the two types of SA receptors important?
12) What are the optimal temperatures for avian virus replication and mammal virus replication?
13) What is the significance of E627K?
14) What are fomites?
15) What steps did the researchers take to mitigate biosafety and biosecurity risks?
