Talk:Virophages
From MicrobeWiki, the student-edited microbiology resource
A virophage is a viral particle that attacks a virus like a bacteriophage that attacks a bacteria.'Sputnik' was isolated by a research group at the National Center for Biotechnology Information in Bethesda, Maryland.It was found in association with a giant virus called Mamavirus isolated from a cooling tower in Paris.This small virus is found to infect Mamviruses which in turn ibfect amoebae.In presence of Sputnik,the host viruses make more defective viral copies.Such virophages are thought to have a role in controlling the population of amoebae and may aid in horizonrtal gene transfer in viruses.
