Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently discovered a single-celled organism that is able to feed on chloroviruses, which are the viruses known to infect green algae. That body that feeds on viruses is unicellular, of the species Halteria, which are microscopic beings that live in fresh water. Check out the article and get to know the organism that feed of the virus.
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Check now how scientists discovered an organism capable of feeding on viruses:
Understand the purpose of the research
The main objective of the research was to find out if there was any microbe capable of feeding on virus in an active way and make this food sustain it and help it grow physiological. Given this, scientists aim to identify whether these beings would be able to favor the population growth of a community.
How the species was found
Since there was already a hypothesis of the species, the team of researchers collected some water samples from a lake next and then isolated different microbes while adding large amounts of chlorovirus. The next day, the researchers tracked the population size of viruses and microbes.
Conclusion of the study
Upon analysis, the researchers noticed that one microbe in particular seemed to feed on the added viruses. The species was Halteria and it grew about 15 times in just two days, while the chloroviruses decreased 100 times.
After this result, the researchers decided to mark the DNA of the chlorovirus with fluorescent dyes to be sure that the species was actually feeding on them. Shortly thereafter, Halteria's cells began to glow, confirming the scientists' hypothesis.
The power of this discovery
The next step, after this discovery, is to continue investigating the phenomena and effects on food chains and how this can contribute to society.
