VIROPHAGE
Illustration of virophages infecting mamaviruses. Mamaviruses are very large viruses, discovered in 2008. They are related to the mimivirus, a giant virus isolated in 2003 in the ameba Acanthamoeba polyphaga, believed at the time to be the largest existing virus (with a capsid diameter of 400 nm, it is larger than some bacteria and visible under an optical microscope), which explains its name (mimivirus, or mimicking microbe virus). The mamavirus is a variant of the mimivirus, but slightly larger. Studies have revealed the presence of other, smaller viruses (50 nm diameter) that parasite it, inside its capsid. The parasite virus was named Sputnik, since it is a satellite virus. Sputnik is the first virus found to infect another virus, and thereby represents a new category of viruses, known as virophages (by analogy to bacteriophages, viruses infecting bacteria). With this discovery the debate on the definition of a living being was put back on the agenda, with the question of whether or not viruses are alive. Indeed, the host virus cannot be infected, sick or die unless it is considered to be alive. Virophages may also constitute a new tool for gene therapy.
Size: 3508px × 2480px
Photo credit: © JACOPIN / BSIP / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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