Biology2.1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biology2.1 - Essay Example sion of the virus to humans occurs as a result of human contact with an already infected fowl as well as contaminated surfaces (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, par. 13). By definition, transmission is the spread or passing of a contagious infection from one person to another or from a contaminated surface or animal to humans. Contamination is very likely to occur in Asia due to poor hygiene amongst Asians contributed by high population. In these areas therefore, a pandemic is most likely to occur when birds are infected. In laymans terms, a pandemic is an outbreak. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention notes that the mortality or death rate as a result of a Bird Flu infection is between 90-100 per cent in most cases in forty eight hours (par. 3). This virus can pose a global threat if it changes to a form that can enhance or enable its transmission from one human being to another (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, par. 15). Bird Flu replicates through a lytic cycle. Lytic cycle is whereby the virus invades the genetic material of the host animal and subsequently exploit the host cells to reproduce till the cells rupture hence killing them. In comparison, the virus in a lysogenic cycle reproduces without killing the cell (Brooker 379). Once a pathogen, in this case the virus attacks the human, the body reacts through adaptive immunity whereby it is able to identify the virus in case of re-infection and immediately produces antibodies that starts to attack the virus to destroy or kill it. The cells responsible for this process are B-cells and T-cells. T-cells kills the cells infected with the virus and trigger production of cells referred to as interferon that slows down its reproduction (Nathanson 88). To treat viral infections, antiviral drugs to prevent replication of the virus can be administered or drugs to kill the infected cells without killing the host (Nathanson 238). Flu vaccines are made using dead viruses. These dead viruses