Question

 Look up the antigenic and genetic components and discuss the different viral structures that make up the antigenic sites and testing methods used to determine strain and reaction. How do variants occur? 

Answer 1

Answer: The antigenic part of the viruses that cause antigenicity that is the ability to ellicit an infectious response in the body of the host organism. Viruses are very small in size ranging from a few nanometer to the micrometer range, the capsid that is the outer portion of the virus that gives the structure contains the DNA and RNA packed inside and that genetic material is the antigenic part of the virus. Viral antigens usually protrude from the capsid and its fucntion is to attach to the host cell, by fusion and enter inside.

These genetic components that is the DNA or the RNA whatever is the genetic material of the virus(differs for different strains of the virus) is usually encompassed in the capsid and this overall forms the antigenic part. Antigenic sites are surface protein that invade in the body of the host.

For a deeper understanding we will take the example of an influenza virus, it has various surface proteins like hemaglutinin and neuraminidase. These surface receptor proteins bind to the host and then the host produces antibodies to prevent the infection. Along with these two surface proteins there are also M2 ion channel and ribonucleoprotein all having different structures from one another. The M2 ion channel guides the materials inside and waste outside the virus, it acts like a gateway channel.

There are various test involved for the identification of these virus strains and there variants using different techniques some involving antibodies and others displaying the virus titres. In the case of influenza Hemaglutinin inhiibition assay (HI) assay is used for the characterization of these viruses. It works on the antibody formula, different virus titres and antibodies are added in the microtitre plate and the reaction between them is then observed. When antibodies are there, hemaglutination inhibition will take place and in the absence of the antibodies, hemaglutination reaction will occur. So, in this way we can perform a test and identify the different strains of virus present because each one of them will have individual antibodies prpoduced against them.

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