Researchers from Germany and the UK analysed the DNA sequences of thousands of influenza strains isolated from patients worldwide, dating to 1968.
By analysing this dataset, researchers were able to determine which strains were most successful at expanding into the entire population, and which mutations were least successful in spreading.
Using a new statistical method, the researchers found that many more mutations than previously thought succeed in replicating and surviving.
These mutations compete; some make it into the entire population, others die out. This analysis of the virus enables prediction of trends which can help vaccine developers understand the rules of flu virus evolution.
This knowledge, in turn, can be used to predict which strains of the virus are most likely to spread through a human population.
"Every year, new concerns emerge about 'super flus' that have the potential to kill many people," said Mark Johnston, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Genetics in which the study was published.
"This research itself will not stop any people from getting sick, but it could give us a heads up to particularly dangerous strains that might be on the horizon. With that information, we may be able to develop increasingly effective vaccines," he said.
