What is antigenic drift and how does it benefit viruses as short as possible

Answer 1

Antigenic drift is a process by which the genetic makeup of a virus changes over time, resulting in the development of new strains that are slightly different from the original virus. This can occur due to mutations in the virus's genetic material during replication.

Antigenic drift benefits viruses by allowing them to continually evolve and evade the immune response of the host. By changing their surface proteins, such as the ones targeted by the immune system for defense, viruses can avoid detection by antibodies that were produced against previous strains. This enables the virus to infect hosts repeatedly and cause recurrent infections.

In viruses with short replication cycles, such as RNA viruses like influenza, antigenic drift occurs more frequently because of the high mutation rate. This rapid evolution helps these viruses adapt to changing environmental conditions and host immune responses, ultimately increasing their chances of survival and transmission.