# 3535
Following on the heels of the last report from the CDC, saying that very little genetic diversity has been detected among the novel H1N1 samples studied to date, we get this word via ProMED-Mail that scientists hope to sequence roughly 150 virus samples from Argentina over the next couple weeks.
The H1N1 virus can pick up genetic changes at just about any time, and anywhere in the world. Viral sequences from Argentina, where it is winter and the population appears to be hit pretty hard by the pandemic, would be very useful.
This excerpt from ProMED-Mail (which if you don’t belong to, or support, you should).
INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009 (16): ARGENTINA, SEQUENCING
**********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date Wed 22 Jul 2009
From: Gustavo Palacios <gp2050@columbia.edu>A team of scientists from the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas (INEI) [National Institute of Infectious Diseases], "Dr Carlos G Malbran" ANLIS [National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes]; the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University; and Roche 454 Life Sciences is decoding the complete genomic sequences of influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus isolates from patients with severe respiratory disease from the current outbreak in Argentina.
<snip>
The team plans to completely sequence a minimum of 150 viruses from nasopharyngeal swabs and cultures over the next 7-10 days. These will be rapidly shared to engage the efforts and insights of the larger scientific community.
