Two Flus Wondering

[neongreen]

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>This is not exactly related to college admissions, but I figure a MIT discussion would be a good place to put this question I have: What happens if two different flu strains are in the body? Say, bird flu and H1N1. What would happen? Would one just die off, or would they combine somehow, or what?</p>

<p>This is COMPLETELY RANDOM, I realize, but I haven’t been able to find an answer and I’m curious. Any virologists out there?</p>

[molliebatmit]

<p>They can combine, although it’s not always true that they will. This is a frequent evolutionary mechanism for influenza viruses, and part of the reason there are so many H-N- combinations.</p>

<p>

Segregation brings together chromosomes from different lineages. Reassortment of influenza A’s neuraminidase and hemagglutinin surface antigens provides the most famous example (Lamb and Krug 2001). The genes for these antigens occur on two separate RNA segments of the genome—the genome has a total of eight segments. When two or more viruses infect a single cell, the parental segments all replicate separately and then are packaged together into new viral particles. This process can package the segments from different parents into a new virus.

from [this</a> book](<a href=“Generative Mechanisms - Immunology and Evolution of Infectious Disease - NCBI Bookshelf”>Generative Mechanisms - Immunology and Evolution of Infectious Disease - NCBI Bookshelf), available for free full-text search (along with many others) on the [NIH</a> NCBI bookshelf](<a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books]NIH”>Home - Books - NCBI).</p>

[k4r3n2]

<p>…from my swine flu experience, you’d probably die if you also had bird flu. Swine flu was <em>terrible</em>. You should all get vaccinated.</p>

[molliebatmit]

<p>I think flu co-infection tends to happen more in livestock and other animals than in humans. :)</p>

[anon89723960]

<p>^ Why would that be?</p>

[molliebatmit]

<p>Humans aren’t typically exposed to diseased wild animals, but livestock and other wild animals are.</p>

<p>It’s also been traditionally thought that bird influenzas needed to pass through pigs as an intermediary before being able to infect humans. Pure avian influenzas don’t infect humans well, and don’t spread well when they do infect.</p>

<p>

Until recently there was only limited evidence that a wholly avian influenza virus could directly infect humans, but in 1997 18 people were infected with avian H5N1 influenza viruses in Hong Kong, and 6 died of complications after infection (Claas et al., 1998; Subbarao et al., 1998; Scholtissek, 1994; Ludwig et al., 1995). Although these viruses were very poorly transmissible or non-transmissible (Claas et al., 1998; Subbarao et al., 1998; Scholtissek, 1994; Ludwig et al., 1995; Katz et al., 1999), their isolation from infected patients indicates that humans can be infected with wholly avian influenza virus strains.

from [this</a> book](<a href=“The Story of Influenza - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza - NCBI Bookshelf”>The Story of Influenza - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza - NCBI Bookshelf).</p>

[jessiehl]

<p>

You should all get vaccinated.

</p>

<p>Woo, got vaccinated this morning!</p>

<p>Since it goes directly into the muscle, I expected my shoulder to be achy afterward, but I haven’t noticed anything so far.</p>