Influenza virus

Influenza viruses are enveloped viruses with segmented, negative-sense RNA genomes. They infect humans and other animals, causing seasonal influenza and occasional pandemics.

Influenza A virus: A type of influenza virus that infects humans and many other animals and causes seasonal epidemics and pandemics. Its broad host range and subtypes make it the main source of pandemic influenza.
Influenza vaccine: A vaccine designed to induce immunity against influenza viruses. Annual vaccine composition is updated to target strains expected to circulate.
Influenza B virus: A type of influenza virus that mainly infects humans and causes seasonal outbreaks. Unlike influenza A, it has no established animal reservoir driving pandemics.
Negative-sense RNA virus: A virus whose RNA genome must be copied into positive-sense RNA before it can be translated. Influenza’s genome cannot be read directly by host ribosomes.
Seasonal influenza: Recurring influenza epidemics that occur in populations as circulating viruses change over time. It is the familiar recurring human disease caused by influenza viruses.
Hemagglutinin: An influenza surface protein that binds host-cell receptors and enables viral entry. Its receptor binding helps determine which cells and species the virus can infect.
Oseltamivir: An antiviral drug that inhibits influenza neuraminidase and can reduce viral release. It treats influenza by blocking a surface protein’s role in virus spread.
Influenza C virus: A type of influenza virus that usually causes milder respiratory illness in humans. Its typical disease burden is milder than that of influenza A and B.
Segmented genome: A genome divided into separate nucleic-acid molecules rather than one continuous strand. Influenza’s separate RNA segments permit reassortment during coinfection.
Influenza pandemic: A worldwide epidemic caused by an influenza virus with sustained human-to-human transmission. Novel influenza strains can spread internationally and cause unusually broad outbreaks.

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