mutant strain
Changed genetic version
A mutant strain is a variant of a microorganism, virus, or cell line that differs genetically from its parent form.
The term appears most often in discussions of disease outbreaks, when a pathogen develops new characteristics: Scientists identified a mutant strain resistant to existing vaccines.
In laboratory contexts, researchers deliberately create mutant strains to study gene function.
- variantDiffering form of something
- virusMicroscopic infectious agent
- pathogenDisease-causing microorganism
- genomeOrganism's total hereditary material
- genetic codeCodon-to-amino-acid mapping rules
evolution · outbreak · laboratory · gain of function · contagion · patient zero · super spreader · disease outbreak · resistant · hybrid · gene · epidemic · altered · DNA · organism · infection · bacteria · splice
- strainswild type, indica, sativa, landrace
- bioweaponsanthrax, bioweapon, bioweapons, bioterrorism, biowarfare