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Purifying the Impure: Sequencing Metagenomes and Metatranscriptomes from Complex Animal-associated Samples
Published on: December 22, 2014
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Viral metagenomics: are we missing the giants?
S Halary1, S Temmam1, D Raoult1
1Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE) UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
Current Opinion in Microbiology
|February 7, 2016
Summary
Giant viruses infecting amoebas are widespread globally. Further research is needed to understand their role in the environment and health due to current data limitations.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Giant viruses infecting amoebas are a recently discovered group of viruses.
- These viruses are found globally in diverse environments and associated with various hosts, including humans.
- They represent a significant portion of eukaryotic viruses in nature, but their exact role remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the global distribution of amoeba-infecting giant viruses.
- To emphasize the scarcity of metagenomic data on these viruses.
- To call for improved methodologies for better understanding their ecological and health impacts.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of giant viruses from environmental samples.
- Metagenomic sequencing to assess viral distribution.
- Bioinformatic analysis of metagenomic data.
Main Results:
- Amoeba-infecting giant viruses are confirmed to be globally distributed.
- Metagenomic data indicate their presence in various environmental and host-associated samples.
- Current data suggest these viruses are a major component of the eukaryotic virosphere.
Conclusions:
- Amoeba-infecting giant viruses are ubiquitous and ecologically significant.
- Methodological limitations hinder comprehensive metagenomic analysis.
- Enhanced sample preparation and in silico approaches are crucial for future research.
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