Articles of Significant Interest in This Issue

Abstract

RNA viruses, such as Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), have high mutation rates that allow for rapid adaptation to selective pressures in their environment. Antiviral compounds exert one such pressure on virus populations during replication. Lee et al. (e00317-20) assessed single-nucleotide polymorphisms and genome network analyses of whole-genome next-generation sequencing data of VEEV while increasing antiviral concentration in two cell types. The trajectory of resistance differed between Vero and SVGA cell types, and the penetration of single-nucleotide polymorphisms was reduced in the SVGA cells. This highlights how population dynamics can be analyzed to understand viral evolution over time.