Proteins on the outside of influenza A viruses are key to breaking through our bodies’ mucus barrier
Katerina Conn/Science Photo Library
Before a virus can infect a cell, it often has to pass through the body’s protective mucus layer to reach the cell. Understanding how evolution has optimized influenza A viruses for this daunting task could aid in the development of new antiviral drugs.
Siddhanshu Agarwal of the University of California, Berkeley, said that dropping influenza A virus into mucus alone does not allow it to reach cells quickly enough to cause an infection through natural diffusion. Influenza A virus – the only influenza…
