Quantitative measures of within-host viral genetic diversity

Curr Opin Virol. 2021 Aug:49:157-163. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.06.002. Epub 2021 Jun 18.

Abstract

The genetic diversity of virus populations within their hosts is known to influence disease progression, treatment outcome, drug resistance, cell tropism, and transmission risk, and the study of dynamic changes of genetic heterogeneity can provide insights into the evolution of viruses. Several measures to quantify within-host genetic diversity capturing different aspects of diversity patterns in a sample or population are used, based on incidence, relative frequencies, pairwise distances, or phylogenetic trees. Here, we review and compare several of these measures.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Genetic Variation*
  • Genome, Viral
  • Haplotypes
  • Humans
  • Mutation
  • Phylogeny
  • Quasispecies
  • Virus Diseases / virology*
  • Viruses / genetics*