fantastic voyage

Written By
Daniel Harrington

The life cycle of influenza

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P.O.V. ISOMETRIC VIEW

Influenza or the flu as it is more

commonly known is a highly
contagious viral infection.
The influenza virus is extremely
small and is only visible through
electron microscope.
The virus is protected by a hard
protein shell which provides a
strong protective casing for the
viruses genetic material as the
virus travels between hosts.
An outer envelope allows the virus
to infect cells by merging with the
cells outer membrane. Projecting
from the envelope are spikes of
protein molecules known as
N spikes and H spikes.
There are 17 known types of
H Spikes and nine types of N spikes
that scientist use to name
different influenza virus such as
the virus h5n1.
When a infected host, talks cough
or sneezes they spread droplets
which contain the virus.
These droplet containing the virus
can ever be contracted by the
initial airborne spread or by
touching a object which they may
have landed on.
When these droplet then come in
contact with a health host they
then gain access to the body by a
healthy host touching there nose,
mouth or face. When the virus comes
in contact with these areas it
makes it way into the new hosts
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(CONT'D)
lungs, once inside a healthy host
body.
The virus starts to infect the
cells within the lungs, nose and
throat. It does this by using the H
spikes like a key to gain access to
the host cells. These spikes also
allow copies of the viruses to
break away and infect more cells.
After the h spike has made contact
and the virus has made it into the
host cell the virus then travels in
side a sack made from the host
Cells membrane to the cells
nucleus, then the viral envelope
and cell membrane sack combine,
allowing the viral genetic material
to leave the sack and enter the
nucleus.
The viral genetic material hijacks
the energy and material in the host
cells nucleus. It uses this to make
thousands of copies of itself some
of the genetic material moves out
of the nucleus, then attaches
itself to the host cells ribosomes,
which are protein building parts of
the host cells.
The ribosomes use information from
the genetic material to make other
viral protein, such as the agent
and packaging structure in your
cell, called the Golgi. An
apparatus which carries the HNN
spikes in vesicles which merged
with the host cells membrane. They
are all the parts needed to create
a new virus which are all gathered
just under the host cells membrane.
As a new virus starts to break off
from the cellos membrane during
this process the newly created
virus gets stuck on your cells
membrane, due to the viral H spikes
ability to lock onto cells
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(CONT'D)
receptors. However the virus has a
way around this problem. The viral
spike freeze and the virus cuts
itself away from from this receptor
and now the new virus is free to
infect more host cells and cause
the host to develop the flu
P.O.V. ISOMETRIC VIEW
The influenza virus attacks your
nose and throat and cause meucuse
to build and also can cause chills,
runny nose, sore throat, muscles to
ache and fatigue. If a doctor
thinks that you may have the flu
they may prescribe you some
anti-viral drugs that stop the
influenza by blocking the viral and
H spike from freeing the virus.
This causes the new viruses to
stick to the surface of the cell so
they cannot escape and infect more
cells.
The best way to protect yourself
from the flu is to get a vaccine
every year which contains several
dead versions of the virus. This
exposure to these dead virus can
stimulate an immune response in
your immune system and cause it to
make anti-bodies. Anti-bodies are
specific to the type of flu you
where exposed to. These antibodies
attach to more than one flu virus
and causes the virus to clump
together, triggering your immune
system to respond to signals from
the antibodies by engulfing and
destroying the club of viruses.
Later if you are exposed to these
types of flu again your body
recognizes and destroys them so you
will not develop the flu from the
same viruses. To continued
protection against new flu viruses
you will need to get a flu vaccine
every year.