Scientists Discover New Mirusviruses Following Covid-19 Pandemic

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Scientists Discover New Mirusviruses Following Covid-19 Pandemic

Scientists have invented viruses that have never been seen before. It’s called Mirusvirus. In Latin, Myrus means strange. These viruses infected the plankton in the seas. Whether it’s the Arctic Ocean or Antarctica. These viruses are everywhere. These large groups of myrusviruses are part of Duplodnaviria.

It is a hybrid virus between myrusvirus duplodinaveria and varidnaveria. Tom Delmont, a scientist at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), said there was a very different virus. We have never seen a virus like this before. It is a hybrid of two large groups of viruses. Herpes virus on one side and giant virus on the other.

Tara, through the water component
By examining data from Tara Ocean Foundation expeditions, scientists have discovered a new type of virus, The discovery could lead to an understanding of where herpes comes from and a better understanding of ocean biodiversity.

Strange viruses inhabit the oceans in abundance. According to a study published on Wednesday, April 19, data collected by an expedition from the scientific schooner Tara Ocean has led to the discovery of likely distant cousins ​​of the herpes virus. these DNA viruses are present everywhere on the surface of seas and oceans, from the equator to the poles, where they infect plankton. “They are chimeric viruses, halfway between the giant viruses, also abundant in the oceans, where they infect only single-celled organisms, and the herpes virus, which only infects animals whose humans” describes biologist Tom Delmont, CNRS researcher and author of the published study. in nature.

An unexpected discovery was made at the Genoscope in Evry (Essonne), where the genomes collected by the Tara Océan Foundation are being sequenced. “We were examining the data tsunami from the 2009-2013 expedition of 300 billion DNA sequences when we came across an unusual evolutionary signal,” says the microbial ecology specialist. Marker gene signal transmitted by giant viruses but also by mirusviruses. “It was like finding treasure on a huge sandy beach with a metal detector,” the researcher continues. After several years of analysis, Tara Ocean Consortium scientists and their collaborators were able to characterize this new group of highly complex and diverse viruses.