Influenza, commonly known as 'the flu', is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae, the influenza viruses. The virus is divided into three main types (Influenzavirus A, Influenzavirus B, and Influenzavirus C), which are distinguished by differences in two major internal proteins (hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), which are the most important targets for the immune system. Hemagglutinin binds to the sialic acid-containing receptors on the surface of host cells during initial infection and at the end of an infectious cycle which makes it a great target for vaccine studies.
