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Q58 - Genome Segmentation and Subtype Diversity in Influenza A

Theoretical B Real exam question - full text reproduced under IBO's CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
Molecular Evolution & Neutral Theory

Influenza A genome consists of 8 separate single stranded RNA molecules, which encode a total of 11 viral proteins. Influenza A viruses are categorized by their two surface antigens, the hemagglutinin (H), of which there are 18 different subtypes (H1-18); and neuraminidase (N), of which there are 11 different subtypes (N1-11) (Fig.Q.58A). The influenza A virus life cycle is presented in Fig. Q.58B.

Figure Q.58 Influenza A virus: (A) virus structure and (B) virus life cycle.

Figure 1. Figure 1.

Using the information and data, determine which of the statements are true or which are false.

A. Influenza A viruses exhibit rapid evolutionary dynamics because the genome is segmented.
B. In theory, there are 88 types of influenza A viruses.
C. Influenza A viruses exhibit high mutation rates because the genome is single strand RNA.
D. Influenza A virion can infect the cells only if RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is present.
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Question reproduced from IBO 2016, Theoretical Paper B, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 - attributed to the International Biology Olympiad. Open the full exam PDF · Community solutions (unofficial)