454 sequence data of dsRNA detected in Aspergillus thermomutatus

Mycoviruses have shown potential as biological control agents for plant pathogenic fungi which raised the question of whether they might also be used to help treat human fungal diseases. Aspergillus is a common fungus which can sometimes infect humans, especially disease immunocompromised patients. Treatment of Aspergillosis by conventional chemical means is difficult and not always successful. A major attraction of mycoviruses as control agents is their high degree of specificity to fungi, making them safe to use on humans. The study characterizes a novel virus from an isolate of A. thermomutatus and investigates the effect of this virus on the biology of its fungal host.