Have you ever wondered why you have to get a flu shot every year, but some vaccines are one-and-done? It all has to do with how and how fast viruses evolve - and that depends on mutation rates.

A global study has found strong evidence that a new form of the coronavirus has spread from Europe to the US. The new mutation makes the virus more likely to infect people but does not seem to make ...

Helen Branswell covers issues broadly related to infectious diseases, including outbreaks, preparedness, research, and vaccine development. Follow her on Mastodon and Bluesky. You can reach Helen on ...

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . Since May 2023, a combination of neuraminidase mutations has been detected in influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses.

A phylogenetic tree of SARS-CoV-2 sequences, built with Nextstrain, displays sequences colored by their clade and organized by collection date. Over time, sequences mutate and diverge, forming new ...

This month’s story comes from the Bloom lab using their signature deep mutational scanning technique to identify mutations in the surface protein of Lassa virus -called glycoprotein- that escape ...