About Influenza Viruses
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Three Types
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There are many strains of flu, but all can be categorized into three types: A, B and C. Type C is mild, and A and B cause seasonal flu, with A also responsible for pandemics.
Avian Flu
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Birds carry all influenza A viruses. Those limited to bird populations---as opposed to those humans already have---are called "bird flu" or "avian flu." Bird flu only rarely transfers directly to humans.
Swine Flu
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In pigs, human, bird and swine viruses can combine to create new strains of flu, as occurred with the 2009 H1N1 influenza.
Canine Flu
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Dogs get canine flu caused by an influenza A virus that first infected horses. After this H3N8 equine virus jumped to dogs, it adapted allowed them to spread it to one another.
Subtypes
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Influenza A can be subtyped based on two proteins found on the virus: H.A. (hemagglutinin) and N.A. (neuraminidase). Thus, H1N1 indicates a virus that has both an H.A. 1 and N.A. 1 protein.
Strains
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Besides types and subtypes, viruses have strains produced by antigenic drift, whereby small changes occur in a virus over time. Such drift requires flu vaccines to be updated annually.
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