Megavirus: Virus So Large You Can See It with a Light Microscope

Meet Megavirus chilensis, a virus so big that it's actually larger than some bacteria:

The particle measures about 0.7 micrometres (thousandths of a millimetre) in diameter.

"It is bigger than some bacteria," explained Prof Jean-Michel Claverie, from Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France.

"You don't need an electron microscope to see it; you can see it with an ordinary light microscope," he told BBC News.

In the lab experiments conducted by Professor Claverie and colleagues, in which they infected fresh-water amoebas, Megavirus was seen to construct large trojan organelles - the "cells within cells" that would produce new viruses to infect other amoebas.

Link


Login to comment.
Click here to access all of this post's 0 comments




Email This Post to a Friend
"Megavirus: Virus So Large You Can See It with a Light Microscope"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More