Scientists have discovered the first “virovoro” – an organism that can feed on viruses

Scientists discover the first organismvirovore”, able to feed exclusively on virus.

Finding published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdefines what kind halter (ciliates microscopic fresh water) can eat a large amount chlorovirus who share their habitat.

First case of viroriosis

According to a study led by John DeLonge of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, this case virovori determines that halter you can only eat these virus accelerate its physiological and demographic growth.

DeLong points out that ciliates from a small shelf they can eat “10 billion virus until now”.

The scientist was already familiar with the methods chlorovirus They can become entangled in the food web. In 2016, the ecologist teamed up with Van Etten and virologist David Dunigan to show that chloroviruses are gaining access to algae that are normally locked in the genus ciliates called Paramecia only when small crustaceans eat Paramecia and excrete newly discovered algae.

To date, the researcher has only found literature in a 1980 study that indicated that single-celled protists were able to consume virusbut did not deepen.

What’s good about diet virus? According to the finding, they retain nucleic acids, nitrogen and phosphorus in significant amounts for small ciliates who wants to eat them.

Will there be more in the world?

In the experiment, DeLong set ciliates in generous proportions chlorovirus off the shelf. Population halter it grew by an average of 15 times every two days, while the virus fell by up to 100 times in the same time.

To confirm this halter actually consumed the virus, the team tagged part of the DNA chlorovirus fluorescent green dye before injection virus to ciliates. Indeed, the ciliated equivalent of the stomach, its vacuole, soon glowed green.

After halterthe team identified others ciliates that they can survive eating alone virus, albeit without detailed studies.

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