Slight genetic changes of virus don't change strain, say geneticists

Geneticists from Delhi's CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Vinod Scaria and Bani Jolly, tell how they are tracking the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in India

What is a phylogeny study? How would you explain the evolution of SARS-CoV-2?

As the virus mutates and evolves, its genetic structure changes, and the relation between these different SARS-CoV-2 genomes can be represented via a “phylogenetic tree”, akin to the family tree of the virus.

Do you find different variants of the virus, then?

Slight changes in the genetic structure of the virus does not change the strain, but alters only a few characteristics. The group of genomes who share common mutations form a “clade”, akin to a family. Different mutations, and thus various clades, may impact humans differently.