Soft Palate Micrographs (IMAGE)

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Soft Palate Micrographs

Caption

Flu viruses enter cells by binding to sialic acids on surface glycoproteins. In ferrets, pigs, and people, the nasopharyngeal surface of the soft palate contains regions of densely packed long-chain α2,6 sialic acid molecules (shown in green) where influenza viruses with airborne transmissibility can out-compete less transmissible virus.

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NIAID

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