Influenza a Virus Can Be Identified by Which of the Following

Question

Influenza A virus can be identified by which of the following surface glycoproteins?
A) HA
B) NA
C) both HA and NA
D) M protein

Accepted Answer

Influenza A virus can be identified by both its surface glycoproteins HA (hemagglutinin) and NA (neuraminidase). These glycoproteins determine the virus's ability to infect and replicate within host cells, and they also form the basis for the naming convention of influenza virus subtypes (e.g. H1N1, H3N2, etc.). The M protein (matrix protein) is an internal structural protein of the virus and is not used to identify influenza virus subtypes.