Definition
In biology, a strain is a genetic variant, a subtype or a culture within a biological species. Strains are often seen as inherently artificial concepts, characterized by a specific intent for genetic isolation. This is most easily observed in microbiology where strains are derived from a single cell colony and are typically quarantined by the physical constraints of a Petri dish. Strains are also commonly referred to within virology, botany, and with rodents used in experimental studies.
Related concepts
Animal testing on rodentsAnnual Review of GeneticsAnnual Review of ImmunologyAntigenic driftAntigenic shiftAxenicBacterial strainBiologyBotanyClone (cell biology)Colony (biology)Common fruit flyCultivarDrosophila melanogasterEscherichia coliFish stocksFungusGary KobingerGenetic analysisGenetic informationGenetic isolateGeneticallyGenetically modifiedGeneticsGenomeH5N1InbredIndustrial fermentationInfluenzaLaboratory mouseLaboratory ratLineal descendantLive foodMicrobiologyMicrobiomeModel organismMutatedPetri dishProtein productionRace (biology)RiceSpeciesStrain (chemistry)Variant (biology)VirologyVirusYeast
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