[sradman]

TLDR; use “isolate” not “strain” to describe genomic differences in viruses

Strain implies functional differences. SARS-CoV-2, like it’s Coronavirus cousins, is quite stable. The genomic sequences found on NextStrain.org are a powerful tool to track the spread of this virus but it is wrong to assume that the difference in each “isolate” carries with it a functional difference; it does not.

The blog post comes from the same scientists that create the TWiV (This Week I’m Virology) podcast which continues to be a tremendous source of quality information for me.

[pbhjpbhj]

>it is wrong to assume that the difference in each “isolate” carries with it a functional difference; it does not. //

Is that what people are assuming?

It's not that every mutation causes a [medically relevant] functional change, it's that a mutation could have. And, AFAIK, we don't have the ability to sequence _and_ relate sequences to differences in symptoms in the general case at present.

Maybe in 10 years someone will have developed an AI to relate RNA sequences, medical history, and functional changes in real time??