mutant strain; mutated variant; mutant species
Biology term for a strain or species that has undergone genetic mutation. Used in scientific contexts.
This mutant strain is more infectious than the conventional strain.
Researchers are monitoring the emergence of new mutant variants.
変異株 is often used specifically for viral or bacterial mutant strains, whereas 変異種 can apply to any organism.
Compound of 変異 (mutation) + 種 (species, strain). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning.