WNV evolution paper in Cell Reports

By April 25, 2017Uncategorized

Dr. Nathan Grubaugh’s paper, detailing how mosquitoes transmit unique West Nile virus populations during each feeding episode, has been published in Cell Reports. Highlights from the paper include the following findings:

• Distinct virus populations are largely shaped by genetic drift
• West Nile virus evolution is characterized by cycles of diversification and selection
• Individual mosquitoes can transmit distinct virus populations during each bloodmeal
• Strong selection in birds purges most nonsynonymous mutations

http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/abstract/S2211-1247(17)30453-9