2023-08-01 07:08:17
Ocean: New Type of Virus Discovered
Scientists have made a remarkable discovery on the sunlit surface of our oceans – a new type of virus. The specimens, known as Mirusviruses or Mirusviricota, have characteristics that are related to both giant viruses and herpesviruses, providing valuable insights into the evolutionary history of herpes.
The term “Mirus” comes from the Latin word for “wonderful” or “strange”, a fitting name for these unique viruses. They belong to a group of viruses called Duplodnaviria, which includes herpesviruses, but Mirusviruses do not infect humans. Instead, they typically infect unicellular plankton. However, their presence in the ocean suggests that the ancestors of herpes viruses once infected marine protozoa.
Although Mirusviruses share an evolutionary heritage with herpesviruses, their genes are mostly similar to those found in giant viruses. These giant viruses are unusually large in size. Researchers believe that this new group of viruses offers a never-before-seen complexity and uniqueness.
The discovery of these Mirusviruses was made during the analysis of data collected from the Tara Ocean Expedition, an extensive project that collected over 35,000 samples of viruses, algae, and plankton from various locations worldwide. The genetic material of the viruses has been sequenced, providing scientists with a wealth of data to explore and uncover new species. The researchers involved in the study emphasized the significance of this discovery, stating that it reminds us of the complex ecological and evolutionary nature of the oceans’ surface.
This breakthrough marks the beginning of an exciting adventure for the scientific community, as they now have the opportunity to detect and study mirusviruses in various ecosystems beyond the oceans. Tom Delmont, an expert in microbial ecology at the French National Center for Scientific Research, expressed his enthusiasm about the discovery’s potential implications.
However, there is much more that researchers still need to uncover about mirusviruses. Currently, they have not been successfully cultivated, and no images of their viral particles exist. Furthermore, their study has been limited to oceanic environments, leaving unanswered questions about their prevalence in other habitats.
As scientists embark on this new journey, there is a promising future for further exploration and understanding of mirusviruses. The publication of this discovery in the journal Nature opens the door for extensive research in this field, which could potentially lead to groundbreaking findings in virology and evolutionary biology.
Sources: “Mirusviruses link herpesviruses to giant viruses” (Nature, 2023), CNRS]
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