Dec 29, 2022
Researchers discovered a microscopic organism that eats viruses
Posted by Shane Hinshaw 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.