Viruses 'piggyback' on host microbes' success
Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - 20:50
in Biology & Nature
It has generally been assumed that in a growing population of microbes, viruses also multiply and kill their hosts, keeping the microbial population in check. A recent study of virus-host dynamics near coral reefs suggests that, under certain conditions, viruses can change their infection strategy. As potential host microbes become more numerous, some viruses forego rapid replication and opt instead to reside peaceably inside their host, thereby reducing their the viruses' numbers.