Before revision: In microbiology and virology the term variant or "genetic variant" is used to describe a subtype of a microorganism that is genetically distinct from a main strain, but not sufficiently different to be termed a distinct strain.
After revision: ,In microbiology and virology the term variant or "genetic variant" is used to describe a subtype of a microorganism that is genetically distinct from a main strain, but not sufficiently different to be termed a distinct strain.