H1N1 and Genetic Entropy

[RonSewell (RonS)]

@Mercer

The key to understanding influenza is understanding that the genome is in 8 pieces (“segmented”), so the big events are when those pieces get mixed in a new combination by two viruses infecting the same cell in the same host.

I’ve definitely been on a learning curve the past couple of days, but it is interesting. I have indeed encountered the discussion on mutual infection,
Reassortment of the influenza virus genome
…and read previously The Tangled Tree by Quammen
The Tangled Tree
I did come across this paper that seems to deal a lot with mutations apart from recombinations in respect to cross species infection:
The inter-species transmission of influenza A virus