Influenza A viruses rapidly adjust their shape when placed in conditions that reduce infection efficiency, such as the presence of antiviral antibodies or host incompatibility. A virus' shape is ...

Influenza A virus particles strategically adapt their shape—to become either spheres or larger filaments—to favor their ability to infect cells depending on environmental conditions ...

Influenza virus is an infectious agent belonging to the virus family Orthomyxoviridae that causes a respiratory tract infection (influenza or 'flu') in vertebrates. There are three main species ...

The first of these, antigenic drift, occurs when the circulating influenza virus mutates and is no longer recognized by the antibodies induced by the vaccine. Current vaccines do not have a ...

Influenza A virus particles (virions) have a typical diameter of 80–160 nm, and are pleomorphic in shape. Virions consist of a lipid envelope (derived from the host plasma membrane) out of which ...

The influenza virus is broken up into eight different ... Preparing for a Pandemic We are in much better shape than we were in 1918. First of all, we know that influenza viruses exist and we ...

And influenza is caused by a virus so shape-shifting that we have never been able to anticipate which form it will take next. The difficulty of pursuing a universal vaccine for flu is not just the ...

Since 1959 the avian flu virus H5N1 has been popping up around the globe. Now scientists believe it could spark the next pandemic.

According to a Health Canada document on avian influenza: "Human infections can happen when the virus gets into a person's mouth, nose or eyes, or is inhaled. This can happen when the virus is in ...

The latest figures reveal the country’s current outbreak of bird flu is showing no signs of slowing down as more cases and hospitalizations are being reported, raising concerns over the ...