Variant (biology)

In microbiology and virology, the term variant or genetic variant is used to describe a subtype of a microorganism that is genetically distinct from a main strain, but not sufficiently different to be termed a distinct strain. A similar distinction is made in botany between different cultivated varieties of a species of plant, termed cultivars.

Viruses

SARS-CoV-2

It was said in 2013 that "there is no universally accepted definition for the terms 'strain', 'variant', and 'isolate' in the virology community, and most virologists simply copy the usage of terms from others".

Variant of Concern 202012/01 version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, "For the time being in the context of this variant, the [terms "variant", "strain", and "lineage"] are generally being used interchangeably by the scientific community".^[2]

References

PMID 23001720
.

^ "Implications of the Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variant VOC 202012/01". US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 29 December 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

External links

Variant (biology) – Biology Online

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[KuhnBao2012-1] PMID 23001720
.

[2] "Implications of the Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variant VOC 202012/01". US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 29 December 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

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