What are Influenza A and Influenza B?

Question

How do you distinguish influenza A from influenza B?

Answer 1

The influenza viruses are a group of RNA viruses designated as types A, B, and C. Type C may not be a true influenza virus and usually causes only mild or asymptomatic disease. Influenza B virus usually causes a minor illness, but it does have the potential to cause more severe disease in older persons. Influenza A virus, however, causes pandemics. The reason for the recurrent outbreaks is that the virus undergoes periodic antigenic shifts in its two outer membrane glycoproteins-hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N)-for example, from H1N1 to H2N2 in 1957 and from H2N2 to H3N2 in 1968, thus introducing a new virus into a population that has no protective serum antibody. No different subtypes of H and N have been identified for influenza B and C. Testing methods include viral culture (gold standard), enzyme immuno assay (EIA) and immunofluorescence DFA antibody staining.
H1N1 caused "Spanish Flu"
H2N2 caused "Asian Flu"
H3N2 caused "Hong Kong Flu"
H5N1 is the current pandemic threat

Answer 2

There are different tests based on the the proteins (antigens) found in the virus shells. You take a sample of mucus from deep in the patient's nasal passage, then test it, 20 minutes later, you have your result. Influenza A is more serious and more likely to mutate than B, I think.

Answer 3

hi, yes this is possible but not common.. the main scare that swine flu could mutate in the future to become more deadly is if someone is infected with 2 types of flu and they mix together while in the same body. only 2 days ago to great relief, tests showed that swine flu is not showing any desire to mix with other flu viruses.. ferrets were infected with swine flu and another type of flu and only the swine flu prevaled meaning that now swine flu is very unlikely to mutate.. like i said it is very possible but not common as a person would have to come into contact with 2 types of flu at the same time which is unlikely. he may have slightly worse symptoms but he should still make a full recovery.

Answer 4

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California

Answer 5

I suppose you'll have to run a search through their nucleotide sequences from genome databases to differentiate them.