A Bizarre Virology Breakthrough That Feels Like Science Fiction
Consider a virus that not only attacks the cells, the virus attacks other viruses like the microscopic Dracula. This sounds like a horror movie, no? But that is precisely what a team of researchers at the University of Maryland and NASA Astrobiology Institute has found. They have discovered a new virus, MiniFlayer, this is the first-known “vampire virus” that attaches itself to its helper virus, MindFlayer, grabbing onto its re called replication machinery with their very own miniature fang!
The find is not some random tidbit in the study of viruses, it turns all our knowledge of viral behavior upside down. Majority of the satellite viruses ride along their helpers, but MiniFlayer is not so. It is in your face, it is even predatory. Is there a whole hidden tangle of viruses each attacking the other? And, in that case, what would it imply for medicine, evolution or even searches of aliens?
What Exactly Is a Vampire Virus?
MiniFlayer differs with the usual viruses in that it attaches itself directly to an existing virus the MindFlayer virus then penetrates it into a cell. The scientists used cryo-electron microscopy and saw small prongs on MiniFlayer that have clamped onto the neck of the MindFlayer, the join between its protein shell and tail.
- It is a parasite in the real meaning of the word-it has no chance to reproduce without its assistant.
- It is the first ever example of satellite virus physically attaching to one another observed by the scientists.
- It was a random find as researchers were studying soil bacteria (Streptomyces) when they saw this eccentric interaction.
That is why it was named a vampire. Since like Dracula requires the supply of blood to live, MiniFlayer requires the supply of MindFlayer to breed. It is a microbe predatorprey connection we have never heard of.
A Never-Before-Seen Viral Arms Race
Satellite viruses are nothing new–we have had them many decades, e.g. hepatitis D, which rides a piggyback on hepatitis B–but none of them have revealed themselves to be this straight-forwarded aggressive. MiniFlayer does not alone ride on the trail of its host, but rather it also pursues it.
Real-world example: imagine a remora fish that not only attaches to a shark but it bites into him/her to get the nutrients. This is the first in virology.
What is also stranger? It appears that MindFlayer fights back. Other strains have developed defensive mutations against attacks of MiniFlayer. It shows that there is an arms race of evolution between viruses, and it is an area that still remains basically unstudied by scientists.
Could This Change How We Fight Viral Infections?
Now this is where it gets interesting. Since viruses can be cannibalistic, would it be possible to create a set of viruses or, perhaps, “vampire viruses” that could track down virulent microbes such as HIV or influenza?
Dr. Ivan Erill, the microbiologist in charge of the study thinks so:
This will open up new possibilities of a new type of antivirals. Imagine an intervention in which we strategically release some so called predator viruses to hunt and kill the bad ones.”
However, the risks are there:
- What would happen in case engineered viruses mutate in unexpected ways?
- Are there chances that they might target the good microbes?
- Would such experiments pass by the regulatory agencies?
Case Study: Bacteriophages (viruses which kill the bacteria) have already been used by scientists to treat resistant infections using antibiotics. Can the argument be employed in this case?
The Bigger Picture: Are There More Vampire Viruses Out There?
NASA is especially fascinated by this finding since very violent behaviors of viruses could indicate how life could develop on other planets. When viruses on earth turn out to be predators, what could be in the subsurface oceans under Europa, or the methane lakes of Titan?
Now, virologists have started searching the databases to find such cases. There is some preliminary evidence that viruses in deep-sea and permafrost may have still stranger lifecycles.
Final Thought: A New Era of Viral Warfare?
This finding makes us reconsider the concept of viruses: they are not mere zombies, but one of the sides of a secret microbial battle. Will medicine in the future involve the use of viruses vs. viruses? Or are we messing about with things we do not know so well?
At least this is one thing which is rock solid, the virus vs. virus era has finally arrived. Is that a breakthrough or a Pandora box, one will know as time goes by.