tations changed the features of those proteins, making it difficult for antibodies to grab hold and mount an attack. The phenomenon is known as "antigenic drift," and it enables a virus to spread even among people who are immunized or who had developed antibodies after a previous encounter with the flu. The most recent significant case of antigenic drift occurred in 1997, resulting in a flu season that, like the current one, began early and proved severe.

Treanor says that despite the changes discovered in the current strain of flu, this year's flu vaccine is still likely to offer some protection, although it is not possible to predict how much. He notes that vaccines that use a weakened form of live influenza, such as the new nasally administered vaccine, may induce a broader immune response that offers better protection against such changes in the virus.

The Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Unit at the University of Rochester is part of a network of seven centers established by the federal government to respond to national needs in the area of infectious diseases. This entails testing new vaccines or treatments for diseases or illnesses like flu, smallpox, whooping cough, pneumonia, malaria, and tuberculosis.

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Contact: Christopher DiFrancesco
chris_difrancesco@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-4790
University of Rochester Medical Center
14-Jan-2004

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