A 41-year-old woman comes to the emergency department due to 2 days of severe shortness of breath, high fevers, cough, and myalgias. The patient is a businesswoman who works in the poultry industry. She recently returned from a trip to China, where she visited several factories in different parts of the country. Her temperature is 39.1 C (102.4 F). The patient is in respiratory distress, and crackles and diffuse wheezes are present on pulmonary examination. Laboratory results show that she contracted an orthomyxovirus that was responsible for an upper respiratory infection epidemic in China. Transmission of the virus was originally thought to occur only through contact with poultry, but during the outbreak, sustained human-to-human transmission was observed. Which of the following is most likely responsible for the infectivity of this virus in humans?

Question

A 41-year-old woman comes to the emergency department due to 2 days of severe shortness of breath, high fevers, cough, and myalgias.  The patient is a businesswoman who works in the poultry industry.  She recently returned from a trip to China, where she visited several factories in different parts of the country.  Her temperature is 39.1 C (102.4 F).  The patient is in respiratory distress, and crackles and diffuse wheezes are present on pulmonary examination.  Laboratory results show that she contracted an orthomyxovirus that was responsible for an upper respiratory infection epidemic in China.  Transmission of the virus was originally thought to occur only through contact with poultry, but during the outbreak, sustained human-to-human transmission was observed.  Which of the following is most likely responsible for the infectivity of this virus in humans?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Influenza epidemics and pandemics are typically caused by reassortment of the RNA segments coding for hemagglutinin or neuraminidase proteins (major antigenic shifts).  This process can occur between human and animal strains of influenza A virus in avian or swine hosts.

A 41-Year-Old Woman Comes to the Emergency Department Due to 2