Researchers discover two new groups of viruses
Tuesday, June 2, 2015 - 18:00
in Biology & Nature
Ferak is a fantasy figure, a plant/animal hybrid creature. The genome of the virus has similarities to bunyaviruses from both plants and animals. Researchers at the University of Bonn and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have discovered two new groups of viruses within the Bunyavirus family in the tropical forest of Ivory Coast. Previously only five groups responsible for serious illnesses in humans and animals were known. Most are spread through blood-feeding insects. Based on the discovered viruses researchers conclude that the ancester to all bunyaviruses must have existed in arthropods such as insects. The results are now being published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" (PNAS).