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Recombination of Viral Genomes

Topic

  • Microbiology
  • Viruses
  • Pathogens & Disease

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Animations

Level

High School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:03:05
Saved By
4 Users
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Description

This animation shows how influenza viruses can combine their genetic information to produce new viral strains.

When two different strains of a virus infect the same host cell, their genetic material can mix and produce a new, recombinant strain. The animation illustrates an example of this process using the influenza virus. Many influenza strains originate in birds and do not reproduce well in humans. However, avian strains can recombine with strains from other species to create new strains that infect humans.

This animation is a clip from a 1999 Holiday Lecture Series, 2000 and Beyond: Confronting the Microbe Menace. Depending on students’ background, it may be helpful to pause the animation at various points to discuss different parts of the recombination process.

Key Terms

antigenic shift, bird flu, genetic exchange, hemagglutinin, infectious disease, influenza, RNA genome, strain, virus

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

Video files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 02.04.99

Materials

Large (MOV) 7 MB
Large (WMV) 7 MB
Small (MOV) 4 MB
Small (WMV) 4 MB
Transcript (PDF) 16 KB

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