The influenza A virus genome is constituted by 8 separate RNA segments (Figure 1). These segments are frequently exchanged between different viruses by a process known as genetic reassortment.
Gene exchange can give rise to viruses with novel antigenic and replicative properties. As a result of progress in sequencing technology and instrumentation, complete sequencing of influenza genomes is now becoming part of the routine analysis and characterization of these viruses.
Genetic reassortment can be identified by analyzing the sequences of whole virus genomes. However, current bioinformatics tools are not available to analyze segmented virus genomes. Specialized bioinformatics tools to analyze genetic reassortment are needed to help understand its role in the host range, virulence, and transmissibility of influenza viruses. This webserver was developed to meet the growing need to genotype Influenza A viruses.