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Detecting chronically infecting viruses of haloarchaea
Sharon Navok1, Himani Singla1, Lee Cohen1
1The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
FEMS Microbiology Letters
|January 22, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed an optimized plaque assay to detect chronically infecting archaeal viruses in extreme environments. This new method improves detection of viruses that don't kill host cells, aiding discovery.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Extremophile Biology
Background:
- Archaeal viruses are crucial for understanding life in extreme environments.
- Chronic viral infections, where viruses are released without host cell lysis, pose detection challenges.
- Conventional plaque assays are ineffective for non-lytic, chronically infecting viruses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an optimized plaque assay for detecting chronically infecting haloarchaeal viruses.
- To overcome limitations of conventional assays in studying viruses with chronic lifestyles.
- To facilitate the discovery and characterization of novel archaeal viruses.
Main Methods:
- Modified plaque assay protocol using adjusted agar concentration and incubation temperature.
- Focused on haloarchaea, specifically within the Haloferax genus.
- Tested on representative Haloferax strains for plaque formation.
Main Results:
- Enhanced viral diffusibility and infectivity were achieved through protocol optimization.
- Successfully demonstrated plaque formation for two chronically infecting viruses: HFPV-1 and LSV-48N.
- The assay detected viruses causing mild host growth delays.
Conclusions:
- The optimized plaque assay is effective for detecting and quantifying chronically infecting archaeal viruses.
- This method provides a valuable new tool for discovering viral families in extreme environments.
- Advances understanding of viral dynamics in archaeal extremophiles.
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