Asked by Karina Ibarra on May 29, 2024

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After studying the phylogeny of the Lassa virus, scientists discovered that viruses from different regions were not closely related to each other. This supports the hypothesis that

A) the virus was spreading from person to person.
B) the virus jumped from rats to people recently.
C) the virus was jumping repeatedly from rats to people.
D) there were no genetic patterns to the transmission of the virus.

Lassa Virus

A virus that causes Lassa fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic illness, primarily occurring in West Africa.

Phylogeny

The evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms, illustrating their common ancestry.

Hypothesis

An assumption or proposition proposed for testing, intended to explain certain facts or phenomena, serving as a basis for further investigation.

  • Analyze the evolutionary relationship between pathogens and hosts including co-evolution.
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Oshima VermaJun 03, 2024
Final Answer :
C
Explanation :
The discovery that viruses from different regions were not closely related to each other suggests that the virus was not spreading through human-to-human transmission over large distances, but rather jumping repeatedly from rats to people in different locations. This indicates multiple, independent cross-species transmission events.