Maryland, November 8: In a scientific first, strange 'vampire viruses' have cropped up in soil samples in US’s Maryland and Missouri. Though the existence of “vampire viruses” has been known to the researchers for decades, this is the first instance of it cropping up in soil samples.

Researchers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County uncovered clear signs of virus-like entities known as mobile genetic elements (MGEs) latching onto helper viruses as they infected a population of bacterial cells. Pandemic Scare: New Strains of Influenza A Virus Found in Pigs Raise Pandemic Risk.

What are Vampire Viruses and Should You be Worried?

Vampire viruses latch onto the helper virus to insert their genes into host cells. This implies that both viruses must infect the cell at the same time, requiring them to be in close proximity when this occurs. However, this recent observation seems to be the first instance where a satellite virus was seen attaching itself to the helper virus. What Is Zombie Virus? Know All About 48,500-Year-Old Pandoravirus Yedoma, Revived by French Scientists, That Sparks Fears of Another Pandemic.

The attachment occurred at the 'neck' of the virus, where the outer shell of the helper virus connects to its tail. This remarkable discovery was made possible through the use of an electron microscope that emits beams of electrons.

This The never-before-seen  was described in a study published Oct. 31 in the Journal of the International Society for Microbial Ecology.

The scientists started the research as part of a routine undergraduate project where bacteriophages – viruses that infect bacteria – are isolated from environmental samples and sent to labs for sequencing. To guarantee that the satellite-helper pair enters the host cell together, the satellite attaches to the helper using a unique adaptation to its tail, the researchers found. 

Researchers did the same experiments multiple times yet it yielded the same results.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 08, 2023 11:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).