Using layman’s terms, explain antigenic shift. What is an intigen and how does it get “shifted”?...

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Using layman’s terms, explain antigenic shift. What is an intigenand how does it get “shifted”? Why does some antigenic shiftsometimes leads to pandemic in humans, whereas sometimes it leadsto virus that generally does not infect humans?

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The sudden shift in the antigenicity of a virus which results from the recombination of the genomes of two viral strains Antigenic shift has been observed with influenza A viruses It mainly happens due to replacement of the hemagglutinin the viral attachment protein that also mediates the entry of the virus into the cell with a novel subtype which has not been present in human influenzaviruses for a long time The main source of these new genes is the large reservoir of influenzaviruses in waterfowl The consequences of the introduction of a new hemagglutinin into human viruses is usually a pandemic or a worldwide epidemic Antigens are little invaders which enters the body and triggers the    See Answer
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