PartlI-Shift and Drift Mary didnt take the baic instead of countering Karen\'s w
ID: 210030 • Letter: P
Question
PartlI-Shift and Drift Mary didnt take the baic instead of countering Karen's worries abour side effects, she chose a different approach. Mary: Influenza can wipe you out for a weck. You won't have the strength to come to work and you would have to take vacation time. Who would take care of your mother at the retirement home if you were sick for a week? Karen: Oh, come on. A week!? Mary: The virus can make a person so tired, that once the fever is gone they still won't have the strength and energy to do anything productive for nearly a weck. You'd even have difficulty finding the strength to visit your mother for another week Karen: Oh my gosh. That would be bad. I guess I remember being that sick about seven or eight years ago. Back then, my mother came over to help me. She wouldn't be able to do that any more. Mary: So, now do you think you want to get the shot? Karen: Not so fast; if I got the shot last year, won't I be immune this year? Mary: The virus changes all the time. The vaccine might protect against the strain of virus that is circulating in the area, but then again, it might not. The new version of the influenza vaccine is designed to protect against che most frequendy recognized strains of influenza. Co Karen was starting to realize that infucnta might really be a different kind of infection than she had thought Questions t. Is it a reasonable gamble for Karen to skip the influenza vaccine this year? 2. What is andigenic drift (or genctic drift)? What is antigenic shift (or genetic shif)? y lavolving Influenza and che Influenza Vaccine by Joha Benne Page 3
Explanation / Answer
1) No, according to me, it is not reasonable gamble for karan to skip the vaccination this year. If he skips, and the newer starin of the influenza virus infects him , then it will result into the more worsen condition for him. Because the virus strain in the vaccine which he was taken last year produces antibody to that virus, but after infection with new and different strain of virus the memory antibodies to the previous starin may able to bind with the new starin ( because of some similarity to the previous strain ) but did not able to nuetralize it, hence results in endocytosis of the new strain and increases the virus load in the blood which will lead to more worse reaction.
2) Antigenic drift is aprocess of variation for viruses whic includes collection of mutation the virus genome that reflects the change antibody binding sites on the viral surface.
Antigenic shift is the mechanism by which two or more different strain of virus or strain of different viruses combine to form new strain ( different from the original one). The new strain have the mixture of surface antigens of two or more original starins.