In 2009, a flu pandemic was believed to have originated when viral transmission occurred from pig to human, thereby earning the designation, "swine flu." Although pigs are thought to have been the breeding ground for the 2009 virus, sequences from bird, pig, and human viruses were all found within this newly identified virus. What is the most likely explanation of why this virus contained sequences from bird, pig, and human viruses?

Question

Jace Burgess

Biology

2 January, 10:42

In 2009, a flu pandemic was believed to have originated when viral transmission occurred from pig to human, thereby earning the designation, "swine flu." Although pigs are thought to have been the breeding ground for the 2009 virus, sequences from bird, pig, and human viruses were all found within this newly identified virus. What is the most likely explanation of why this virus contained sequences from bird, pig, and human viruses?

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Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Keith Hayes · Answer 1

Below are the choices, the answer is no. 3:

1) The virus was descended from a common ancestor of bird, pig, and human flu viruses.

2) The infected individuals happened to be infected with all three virus types.

3) Related viruses can undergo genetic recombination if the RNA genomes mix andmatch during viral assembly.

4) The human was likely infected with various bacterial strains that contained all three RNA viruses.