New Influenza Study Findings Have Been Reported by Investigators at Princeton University (One Hundred Years of Influenza a Evolution).

A new study conducted by investigators at Princeton University explores the evolution of the human influenza A 'nonstructural' (NS) gene segment. The researchers used nucleotide mismatch distributions to analyze the genetic backbone of influenza A NS sequences over more than a century. They found that the 2009 influenza A/H1N1 pandemic represented a departure from the established genetic backbone, indicating the complexity of influenza evolution. The study provides insights into the evolutionary dynamics of the NS gene segment and highlights patterns of nucleotide diversity and epi-evolutionary dynamics. The research has been peer-reviewed and published in Theoretical Population Biology. [Extracted from the article]