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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Environmental Sampling of Photosynthetic Microbes and Their Viruses: From Field to Lab
Published on: July 3, 2025
Viruses of symbiotic Chlorella-like algae isolated from Paramecium bursaria and Hydra viridis
J L Van Etten1, R H Meints, D Kuczmarski
1Department of Plant Pathology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0722.
Abstract:
We previously reported that isolation of symbiotic Chlorella-like algae from the Florida strain of Hydra viridis induced replication of a virus (designated HVCV-1) in the algae. We now report that isolation of symbiotic Chlorella-like algae from four other sources of green hydra and one source of the protozoan Paramecium bursaria also induced virus synthesis. Algae from one of these hydra contained a virus identical to HVCV-1 (based on its rate of sedimentation, buoyant density, reaction to HVCV-1 antiserum, and DNA restriction fragments) whereas algae from the other three hydra contained another similar, but distinct, virus (designated HVCV-2). The virus from the paramecium algae (designated PBCV-1) was distinct from both HVCV-1 and HVCV-2. The symbiotic algae in the hydra could also be distinguished ultrastructurally. Chloroplasts of both algae that produced HVCV-1 lacked a pyrenoid whereas chloroplasts of the other three symbiotic algae contained pyrenoids. Since all symbiotic eukaryotic algae we have examined have had virus, a potential viral role in symbiosis is suggested.
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