virulent strain
Highly infectious mutation
A virulent strain is a variety of pathogen—virus, bacterium, or other microorganism—that causes particularly severe disease.
Virulent emphasizes the organism's ability to infect, spread, and do damage; strain identifies it as a genetic subtype within a species: The outbreak was caused by a virulent strain of influenza.
Health officials track virulent strains because they pose greater public health threats than milder variants.
- pathogenDisease-causing microorganism
- contagiousTransmissible between people
- deadlyAble to cause expiration
- mutantGenetically altered organism
- outbreakSudden eruption of trouble
highly contagious · epidemic · infectious · lethal · bacteria · disease · fever · spreading · rapid spread · resistant · toxic · aggressive · pandemic · plague · public health emergency · infection · microbe · mutation
virulent strainweakened strain
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