Your dog has flu caused by an H3N8 strain.Assume that you breathe in this strain, after you have already come in contact with an H1N1 strain.Both viruses go into the cells of your upper respiratory tract.During the viral replication cycle inside of your epithelial cells, genetic information for hemagglutinin antigen and for neuraminidase antigen are recombined.Your cells end up producing a new variant---H3N1.Predict what might happen as a result of this set of events.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The recombination of genetic information from different strains of influenza viruses can result in the emergence of a novel virus for which humans may not have immunity. The new H3N1 variant, having adapted to the human respiratory tract, may be able to spread through the population without much resistance. This can lead to a flu outbreak with potentially severe consequences, especially if the virus is highly pathogenic.

Your Dog Has Flu Caused by an H3N8 Strain