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Explain how mutations can be used to track a disease outbreak

Explain how mutations can be used to track a disease outbreak

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Viruses and bacteria contain DNA and RNA, which means they can evolve. As viruses and bacteria make copies of themselves, their molecular material changes. This is because the enzyme that copies DNA and RNA makes random errors as the virus or bacteria replicates.

This evolution is akin to the development of mammals over evolutionary history, but with an important difference. The lifespan of a bacterium or virus is short, and they replicate quickly in astonishing quantities. This means we can observe evolutionary change in as short a span as just a few hours or days.

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