Genes and Flu

Every person has different genes from one another; no two people will obtain the same kind of genes. Genes help scientists and doctors establish what will happen to the person they belong too. There is a new study that says scientists will be able to determine who will get sick and who won’t, from the genes inside their body. Scientists plan to infect 17 people with a flu strain to see if they become ill or not. They would also take blood samples to see who would be affected by this strain and who wouldn’t.

When the scientists examined the blood samples, they could determine who would become ill with the flu 36 hours before the first symptoms appeared. When the people appeared to be getting sick, their bodies would trigger their inflammatory systems and stress. Also, researchers hope that by studying genes, it will help them determine who will become critically ill in the future. Each person will get a different strand of the flu based on their genetic makeup in their body. Based on your genetic makeup, you might be able to fight off the flu without even having the symptoms.

Before reading this article, I believed that anyone could get the flu. I didn’t know that your genes could help you not get it or help prevent you from getting it. Also, I believed that if you received the flu vaccination that you wouldn’t get the flu, but it is still a possibility. A person who is constantly sick has a greater risk of getting the flu. So by staying healthier, you decrease the risk of getting the flu.

From being in biology, it has helped me learn about how viruses are created and how they work. Viruses are not cells but are DNA wrapped up in proteins. The flu virus lacks some of the key characteristics of life. The flu virus will invade your body’s cells and make the cells do the work for them. Genes are also made up of DNA but unlike viruses they will affect your genetic traits and have a special location on a chromosome. Another way to think of genes is a basic unit...