4 ms·
I'd say the achilles heel is most likely in the genomic structure, which unlike influenza, is less likely to recombine.
by koeng 5y ago
I'd say the achilles heel is most likely in the genomic structure, which unlike influenza, is less likely to recombine.
- Clostridium 5y agoNot true, the genome of viruses is very variable/evolvable due to its high mutation rates.
- koeng 5y agoI wasn’t talking about mutation rates. Influenza has mini-chromosomes which it can swap between strains, leading to more variants since they can swap those mini-chromosomes. SARS-CoV-2 has a single linear genome - only recombination on the RNA level or accumulation of mutation will allow for evolvability. Also, viruses massively differ in their own mutation rates. So, yes, true.