For Virology Did having bacteria and air-borne contamination with cultures of viruses skew results? Were they trying to correlate a grown virus with a certain illness, and did contamination ever throw off their results? The EM microscope has been a valuable tool for the identification and measuring of viruses. During the time it took for … Continue reading Chapter 1 Student Questions

Influenza virus, the causative agent of flu, has a genome composed of segmented, single-stranded, negative sense RNA.  This combination leads to challenges for your immune system because this virus can evolve through occasional genetic shift and continuous genetic drift.  Let me explain. To cause a genetic shift, two different strains of influenza infect the same … Continue reading Fit to Fight the Flu