Novel marine diatom ssRNA virus NitRevRNAV infecting Nitzschia reversa. Marine Virology

Diatoms are one of the most species rich groups of organisms on Earth. They are fundamental in supporting the biomass of the natural environment. The presence of marine viruses can greatly influence diatom diversity in their natural environment and have attracted interest from multi-disciplinary research teams after a diatom infected virus was reported for the first time in the 21st century. As initial research in this field demonstrated, for the acquisition of a new virus it is important to learn about their infect hosts. Therefore, we have been searching for new viruses that infect diatoms.