4

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https://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi

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Collect, Compare and Understand Data  In order to now know which virus we have in

front of us (in practice, usually even much more precisely, namely which virus strain), we

have to let the computer identify this sequence. 

Collect Data  This is particularly easy if you have created a database of virus sequences.

You already know their sequence because you have sequenced them before. As an exam­

ple, let us consider HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. With the help of the database,

it is easy to find out whether the sequence found by PCR for a virus in the blood matches

one of the entries in the database. Databases are fundamental in bioinformatics. They store

all the information and can then be used for further investigations.

1  Sequence Analysis: Deciphering the Language of Life