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Dec 29, 2022

Researchers discovered a microscopic organism that eats viruses

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, food

Oto_feja/iStock.

John DeLong and his colleagues at the University of Nebraska have discovered that a species of Halteria—microscopic ciliates prevalent in freshwater habitats worldwide—can consume a sizable number of infectious chloroviruses. For the first time, the team’s laboratory tests have also demonstrated that a virus-only diet, or “virovory,” can support an organism’s physiological growth and even population increase.

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