Last year, Daniel Janies, a researcher from the Ohio State University tracked the H1N1 virus with the help of a super computer, Google Earth, and a network of scientists who has genetic data on the virus. His output indicates how the virus evolved, spread and make people sick all over the globe.
The H1N1 virus was thought to have originated in Mexico and Janies also discovered that its genetic ancestry is connected to the viruses found in man and animals such as pigs and birds, way back in 1956.
The program Janies developed can detect a virus that has a segment of the genetic code of H1N1 virus. Most researchers were concerned with how the virus mutates. They feared that any change in the genetic code can make any treatment useless, like in the case of the Tamiflu.
Janies was also able to create maps parallel to that of the map which tracked the evolution of the SARS virus. The map indicated the change of the standard influenza virus through time which made it invulnerable to a type of flu-fighting drug like the sample used to treat livestock in China.
Viruses are constantly mutating, they are evolving from host to host, man to animal, and animal to man. After invading a host, flu virus replicates itself several times making an exact replica of the original virus. However, during the course of evolution, a genetic “mistake” sometimes occur resulting in a new virus that can either be weaker or stronger than the original one. This new virus can also jump from animal to man.
Janies used the data from the records of the scientists who took the genetic fingerprint of the H1N1 viruses he ran it through a super computer. The computer utilized a program he developed to look for mutations.
With every mutation he recorded, the location and the date of discovery are added to the map Janies developed. It also showed the link to its most likely genetic parents. Janies also added that the sharing of map data of viruses between scientists makes the virus tracking possible.
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