Viral Infections USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A 34-year-old female epidemiologist working at a port authority in Taiwan presents to occupational health after discovering a shipment of poultry from mainland China with confirmed H5N1 avian influenza infection. The worker is currently asymptomatic with vital signs: temperature 37.0°C, blood pressure 118/74 mmHg, heart rate 72/min, respiratory rate 14/min, and oxygen saturation 98% on room air. Laboratory studies show normal CBC, metabolic panel, and negative nasopharyngeal PCR for influenza. Despite the worker's current health status, public health officials are concerned about the epidemiologic implications of this H5N1-infected poultry. Which of the following represents the primary public health concern regarding transmission of H5N1 from avian reservoirs to human populations?
Answer choices
- ADirect consumption of infected poultry meat will cause acute hepatic necrosis in humans within 48 hours
- BThe virus will undergo antigenic drift leading to increased virulence and immediate human-to-human transmission
- CReassortment with circulating human influenza strains could generate a pandemic strain combining high transmissibility with avian virus pathogenicityCorrect answer
- DThermal processing of poultry will generate novel viral particles with enhanced neurotropism
- EInfected birds will produce secreted proteins that cause immunosuppression in humans consuming undercooked meat
- FSecondary Salmonella superinfection of avian tissue will produce enterotoxins resistant to normal cooking temperatures
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