SoylentNews

upstart writes:

Scientists Discover the First Virus-Eating Organism:

The so-called "circle of life" dictates that if a living thing exists, it's probably food for something else. Viruses, however, have historically managed to escape this unofficial rule. Although plenty of organisms eat viruses accidentally as they consume other living things, no organism has been known to munch viruses on purpose—until now.

A research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has identified the first known "virovore," or virus-eating organism. Biologist John DeLong was leading his colleagues in the search for virus-consuming microbes by taking freshwater samples from a nearby pond. Back at the lab, the team isolated the samples' various microbes and added chlorovirus—an algae-targeting freshwater virus—to the water. Eventually, they found exactly what they were looking for: a ciliate (or single-celled organism with hair-like cilia) referred to as Halteria.

[...] Viruses are abundant in water and are chock-full of "raw materials" like nitrogen, phosphorus, and nucleic acids, making them a convenient snack for organisms willing to chow down on them. DeLong's team believes the discovery of Halteria's intentional virus consumption could guide broader ecological studies, such as those involving aquatic food webs.

Journal Reference:
John P. DeLong, James L. Van Etten, Zeina Al-Ameeli, et al., The consumption of viruses returns energy to food chains, PNAS, 120, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2215000120

Original Submission