RNA viruses are ubiquitous intracellular parasites that are responsible for many emerging
diseases, including AIDS and SARS. Here, we discuss the principal mechanisms of RNA …

RNA viruses are the main agents of emerging disease. To understand how RNA viruses are
able to jump species boundaries and spread in new hosts it is essential to determine the …

RNA viruses are unique in their evolutionary capacity, exhibiting high mutation rates and
frequent recombination. They rapidly adapt to environmental changes, such as shifts in …

RNA viruses provide unique insights into the patterns and processes of evolutionary change
in real time. The study of viral evolution is especially topical given the growing awareness …

Despite advances in understanding the patterns and processes of microevolution in RNA
viruses, little is known about the determinants of viral diversification at the macroevolutionary …

Geoghegan and Holmes describe the history of evolutionary ideas in the study of viruses,
showing that two different approaches to studying virus evolution—the comparative and the …

▪ Abstract RNA viruses exploit all known mechanisms of genetic variation to ensure their
survival. Distinctive features of RNA virus replication include high mutation rates, high yields …

Populations of RNA viruses are often characterized by abundant genetic variation. However,
the relative fitness of these mutations is largely unknown, although this information is central …

Viral quasispecies are closely related (but nonidentical) mutant and recombinant viral
genomes subjected to continuous genetic variation, competition, and selection …

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