But a rare, novel strain of the flu virus would be able to spread quickly to almost any individual.

I have just returned from looking for novel strains of the virus in birds on remote islands of the South Atlantic.

The novel strain was originally named "Strain H-5 ".

Of the positive cases, about a third were due to the novel strain.

Experts noted that the influenza epidemic of 1918 had also been caused by a novel strain of the H1N1 virus.

The virus is a novel strain of influenza.

What pandemics have in common is that they all feature novel strains of the virus to which people have not developed immunity.

The virus was found to be a novel strain of influenza for which extant vaccines against seasonal flu provided little protection.

A viral shift is the sudden emergence of a seemingly novel strain of a virus.

The crucial ingredient is a novel strain of yeast that he has spent years breeding and has patented.