Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

39.4K
A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
39.4K
Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

24.7K
Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
24.7K
Steps in Outbreak Investigation01:18

Steps in Outbreak Investigation

425
In the ever-evolving field of public health, statistical analysis serves as a cornerstone for understanding and managing disease outbreaks. By leveraging various statistical tools, health professionals can predict potential outbreaks, analyze ongoing situations, and devise effective responses to mitigate impact. For that to happen, there are a few possible stages of the analysis:
425
Causality in Epidemiology01:21

Causality in Epidemiology

1.4K
Causality or causation is a fundamental concept in epidemiology, vital for understanding the relationships between various factors and health outcomes. Despite its importance, there's no single, universally accepted definition of causality within the discipline. Drawing from a systematic review, causality in epidemiology encompasses several definitions, including production, necessary and sufficient, sufficient-component, counterfactual, and probabilistic models. Each has its strengths and...
1.4K
Mutations in Microorganisms01:18

Mutations in Microorganisms

425
Mutations are heritable changes in an organism’s genome involving alterations in the base sequence of DNA or RNA. These changes can influence cellular processes and phenotypic traits, potentially transforming the unaltered wild type into a mutant form. Such changes, termed forward mutations, are pivotal in shaping the genetic diversity of organisms.RNA viruses exhibit the highest mutation rates due to the absence of robust proofreading mechanisms during genome replication. In contrast,...
425
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

61.5K
In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
61.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Reliability of a nonlinear fluctuation-dissipation relation as a test of Markovianity.

Physical review. E·2026
Same author

Soft Colloidal Robots: Magnetically Guided Liquid Crystal Torons for Targeted Micro-Cargo Delivery.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026
Same author

Hitting the blinking target under stochastic resetting.

Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Topological defects lead to energy transfer in active nematics.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Universalities in a constrained motion of a particle with memory friction: A bead of a Rouse chain on a periodic wire.

Physical review. E·2026
Same author

Active nematic pumps.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.3K

Epidemics with mutating infectivity on small-world networks.

Sten Rüdiger1, Anton Plietzsch2,3, Francesc Sagués4

  • 1Department of Physics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489, Berlin, Germany. sten.ruediger@gmail.com.

Scientific Reports
|April 5, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mutations enhancing pathogen spread can trigger epidemics on networks. Small-world networks initially increase outbreak risk, but too many long-range links can reduce it, impacting disease dynamics.

More Related Videos

Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses
11:19

Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses

Published on: May 4, 2015

11.6K
Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency
18:10

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Published on: June 16, 2011

30.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.3K
Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses
11:19

Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses

Published on: May 4, 2015

11.6K
Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency
18:10

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Published on: June 16, 2011

30.0K

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Network Science

Background:

  • Pathogen epidemics and evolution often occur concurrently, entangling their dynamics.
  • The spatial spread of infectious diseases across interconnected hosts, like cities, is a critical factor in epidemic progression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To theoretically investigate the impact of mutations that increase infection rates on epidemic dynamics within networks.
  • To analyze how network structure, particularly the small-world property, influences the interplay between mutation and disease spread.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model on grid-like networks with varying connectivity.
  • Modeling pathogen spread with mutations affecting infection rates, considering both discrete and continuous genetic changes.
  • Derivation and solution of a Fokker-Planck-like equation for continuous mutations using WKB approximation for small numbers of long-range connections.

Main Results:

  • Small-world networks, characterized by long-range connections, increase vulnerability to supercritical mutations, potentially escalating outbreaks.
  • An increase in the number of long-range links can reverse this effect, leading to a decreased probability of large-scale epidemics.
  • Mutations potentiating transmissibility can emerge during an epidemic wave, not solely preceding it.

Conclusions:

  • Network topology significantly modulates the effect of beneficial mutations on epidemic outbreaks.
  • The timing and impact of transmissibility-enhancing mutations are influenced by the underlying host network structure.
  • Understanding these dynamics is crucial for predicting and managing infectious disease spread in interconnected populations.