It is currently known that the SARS virus genome found in patients from Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Taipei and Beijing shows variations. But since the SARS genome has a total of more than 29,000 nucleotide base pairs, these minute differences should have no effect on the study of the symptoms, the treatment or a possible vaccine for the disease.
目前已知廣東、香港、台北及北京各地的 SARS 病毒基因均有部分歧異，不過 SARS 病毒基因至少有二萬九千多個鹼基對，些微的差距應該還不至於影響病徵、治療方法及疫苗的研發。