Pandemic H1N1/09 Virus
The cause of the recent H1N1 pandemic is this virus. It is a random assortment of 5 different types of influenza viruses, one of which was a human influenza virus. Thus, this allowed the virus to spread amongst humans.
The virus itself is enveloped and enters the host cell via membrane fusion. Once within, positive hydrogen ions within the cytoplasm are channeled into the viral capsid where the pH change degrades the capsid protein, freeing the 8-segment negative sense RNA into the cytoplasm. There, RNA polymerases that were also released from the degradation of the capsid convert the negative sense into positive sense. After which, the RNA is transported via transporter protein to nearby ribosomes to be translated into proteins. After maturation, the new virions bud off the surface of the host cell, collecting their surface proteins and envelope at the same time.
The virulence of this virus is mild and its fatality rate is very low. All in all, not a very dangerous virus.
However, bearing in mind the use of RNA polymerase to convert the RNA leaves the genome highly susceptible to mutation, which is why scientists are monitoring the spread of the virus globally incase there is a mutation that causes the virus to become more virulent or more fatal.
Image of Pandemic H1N1/09
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