Neuraminidases and Influenza Virus Infection in Embryonated Eggs

Inhalation of α-gal/sialic acid liposomes: a novel approach for inhibition of influenza virus infection?

Effective inhibition of influenza virus infection in symptomatic patients may be feasible by inhalation of aerosol-containing liposomes presenting α-gal epitopes and sialic acid epitopes. The virus binds to sialic acid epitopes and the natural anti-Gal antibody binds to α-gal epitopes on the liposomes and activates the complement system to generate chemotactic peptides that recruit macrophages. These macrophages bind and internalize via their Fc receptors, anti-Gal-coated liposomes and the influenza virus bound to them, process the viral antigens and transport them to the regional lymph nodes for eliciting a rapid, protective immune response that prevents progression of the virus infection.

Towards multiscale modeling of influenza infection

Aided by recent advances in computational power, algorithms, and higher fidelity data, increasingly detailed theoretical models of infection with influenza A virus are being developed. We review single scale models as they describe influenza infection from intracellular to global scales, and, in particular, we consider those models that capture details specific to influenza and can be used to link different scales. We discuss the few multiscale models of influenza infection that have been developed in this emerging field. In addition to discussing modeling approaches, we also survey biological data on influenza infection and transmission that is relevant for constructing influenza infection models. We envision that, in the future, multiscale models that capitalize on technical advances in experimental biology and high performance computing could be used to describe the large spatial scale epidemiology of influenza infection, evolution of the virus, and transmission between hosts more accurately.