UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., March 27 (UPI) -- "Viral sex" has been found to be the cause of many flu epidemics, Pennsylvania State University researchers said.
Lead author Martha Nelson, a graduate student in the department of biology, said this type of virus interaction leads to the development of new viruses, which contribute to influenza outbreaks.
"Unusual genomes are being generated through reassortment, which occurs when multiple viruses co-infect a person," Nelson told the Pennsylvania State University Daily Collegian. "The viruses actually swap genetic material and create new viruses."
Using a database containing genomes of various influenza viruses, Nelson and colleagues studied the evolution of the H1N1 strand of influenza.
Prior to this discovery, it was believed that flu epidemics were mainly caused by mutations. However, research suggests the causes of flu epidemics have more genetic diversity than previously believed, Nelson said.
