Researchers Are Studying Mechanisms of Human Infection by Animal Viruses

question 326

Multiple Choice

Researchers are studying mechanisms of human infection by animal viruses.  The investigators induce random mutations in the genome of an avian influenza virus that is unable to infect humans but is structurally similar to human influenza A virus.  A mutated isolate is found to be able to infect human upper respiratory tract epithelial cells.  Alteration in which of the following viral components most likely enabled this novel strain to cause cross-species infection?

• A)Antigenic glycoprotein
• B)Lipid bilayer envelope
• C)mRNA endonuclease
• D)Nucleocapsid protein
• E)RNA polymerase

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