The germ detectives

• Autores: Linda Geddes
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2944, 2013, págs. 44-47
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Viruses are constantly mutating and evolving as they pass from person to person, which provides a way to track their spread: the more genetically related two people's viruses are, the more likely it is that one person caught the virus from the other. Genetic testing has since been used in many other cases of HIV transmission, often where the transmitter is accused of acting recklessly. The ethics of prosecuting such cases maybe debatable critics say this approach could put people off getting tested for HIV. But as the technology has advanced, genetic testing of microbes has found wider uses. Here, Geddes explores how genetic testing can be used to investigate an outbreak.