reassortment

/ ˌriːəˈsɔːtmənt /

noun

1. the formation of a hybrid virus containing parts from the genomes of two distinct viruses in a mixed infection

Example Sentences

If multiple virus strains circulate together at once, genetic material could be swapped around in a process called viral reassortment, potentially producing more dangerous evolutions of either virus.

From Salon

“Now, with human flu season coming, you have the risk of what’s called viral reassortment, where a host can get infected with both bird flu and human flu at the same time, and those flus now start swapping genetic material,” Karan said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Now, with human flu season coming, you have the risk of what’s called viral reassortment, where a host can get infected with both bird flu and human flu at the same time, and those flus now start swapping genetic material,” Karan said.

From Los Angeles Times

In addition, different types of viruses can swap genes through a process called reassortment.

From Salon

The upshot of reassortment is that a virus lacking the genes to be good at infecting humans can very quickly acquire those tools to sustain transmission in humans.

From Slate