In a commentary appearing online Jan. 17 in Immunity, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., and leading NIAID influenza vaccine researchers Brian R. Murphy, M.D., and Kanta Subbarao, M.D., M.P.H., discuss
- How influenza viruses function
- Why the human immune system effectively wards off flu infection in some cases but not others
- The difference between antigenic "drift" and "shift"
- The scenario that could create a flu pandemic
- The practical and immunological challenges to developing protective vaccines
ARTICLE: "The Immunology of Influenza Infection" by Kanta Subbarao, Brian R. Murphy, and Anthony S. Fauci. Immunity DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2005.12.005 (2006).
SPOKESPERSON: NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., is available to discuss the article.
CONTACT: To schedule interviews, contact Kathy Stover in the NIAID Office of Communications and Public Liaison, 301-402-1663, kstover@niaid.nih.gov.
NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria and illness from potential agents of bioterrorism. NIAID also supports research on transplantation and immune-related illnesses, including autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.
News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.
Journal
Immunity