Sample interview questions: How do you assess the potential for viral reassortment and its implications in disease emergence?
Sample answer:
Assessing the Potential for Viral Reassortment
- Surveillance: Monitor viral populations for genetic diversity and reassortment events using sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.
- Bioinformatics: Utilize tools to identify breakpoints and recombination regions within viral genomes, indicating potential reassortment.
- Experimental studies: Conduct laboratory experiments to assess the frequency and mechanisms of reassortment between different viral strains.
Implications in Disease Emergence
- Novel Pathogens: Reassortment can create new viral strains with unique combinations of virulence and transmissibility factors, leading to the emergence of novel pathogens.
- Increased Virulence: Reassorted viruses can inherit traits from more pathogenic strains, potentially resulting in more severe disease.
- Antiviral Resistance: Reassortment can introduce resistance mutations from one viral strain to another, compromising … Read full answer