Vincent Racaniello, PhD

Influenza: What is the H and what is the N?

H1N1, H7N9, H5N1–we hear this “alphanumeric” description of various influenza, or flu viruses all the time.

In this short clip from an older interview, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Columbia University and founder of Virology Blog, Vincent Racaniello, PhD explains more about the Hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA).

Image/CDC