Question

Interferons combat viral infection by

• A. Inhibiting viral packaging directly.
• B. Increasing the binding of antibodies to viruses.
• C. Binding to the virus and agglutinating them.
• D. Restricting viral spread to the neighboring cells by inhibiting viral replication.

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

Restricting viral spread to the neighboring cells by inhibiting viral replication.

Interferon are produced by the cells as a defensive response to viruses. They belong to class cytokines. They are important modulators of the immune response. They interfere with the replication of virus and hence restrict the spread of virus to the neighboring cells. Apart from viruses, they also combat bacterial and parasitic infections by inhibit cell division.

Thus, the correct answer is option D.