Where Does the Influenza Virus Go in Summer?

The seasonal flu virus has a coating that is able to stay hard in the winter, forming a protective "shell" around the virus until it enters a host. In the summer, this coat melts away, making the virus less hardy and more likely to die off.

Significance

• The coating is made up of hemagglutinin, which is a type of fatty protein. Hemagglutinin hardens when the weather is cold.

Function

• The hemagglutinin also assists the virus in attacking the cells of the host by helping it bind to the cells before melting away.

Time Frame

• In the summer, this hemagglutinin cannot stay hard enough to protect the virus. Without its protecting coating, the virus dies off easily.

Effects

• The hemagglutinin coating also makes it more difficult to wash the virus off your hands and protects the virus from soaps.

Expert Insight

• Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), in Bethesda, Maryland used MRI-type technology to study the flu virus and discover the protective coating.