Vampire Viruses Discovered in US

• 13 Nov 2023

Recently, several ‘Vampire Viruses’ have been discovered on US soil for the first time.

Key Points

• They are pathogens that latch onto other viruses in order to replicate themselves.
• They emerge when a bacteriophage attaches to a soil-based virus, utilising its "life" for independent survival.
• This viral relationship between two pathogens is called a satellite and a helper. The satellite is the infectious strand that relies on the helper for support through its life cycle.
• Satellites depend on both their host organism and helper virus to complete its life cycle.
• The satellite virus depends on the helper virus to build the protective shell that covers its genetic material, called a capsid or to help it replicate its DNA.
• Most satellite viruses contain a gene that allows them to integrate into the host cell’s genetic material after they enter the cell.
• This enables the satellite to reproduce whenever a helper enters the cell from then on.
• The host cell also copies the satellite’s DNA and its own when it divides.