Flu Database Holds Viruses’ Genetic Info
U.S. health officials have placed the genetic blueprints of more than 650 flu viruses into a public database, in an attempt to increase research and set an example for other nations.
The genetic information is only for naturally circulating viruses isolated in the United States. It includes data from the annual U.S. flu season, animal flu viruses that infect humans, and new strains that may emerge in this country, such as the H5N1 bird flu.
The data were deposited in Genbank, a public-access library for virus sequences managed by the National Institutes of Health.
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