Microbes scared to death by virus presence

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150402114725.htm

Microbes scared to death by virus presence
April 2, 2015
Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The microbe Sulfolobus islandicus can go dormant, ceasing to grow and reproduce, in order to protect themselves from infection by Sulfolobus spindle-shaped virus 9 (SSV9), researchers have discovered. The dormant microbes are able to recover if the virus goes away within 24 to 48 hours -- otherwise they die.

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"The microbe is hedging its bet," said Associate Professor of Microbiology Rachel Whitaker, who led the research at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. "If they go dormant, they might die, but we think this must be better than getting infected and passing it on."

Sulfolobus is a species of archaea (a domain of single-celled organisms distinct from bacteria) found in acidic hot springs all over the world, where free viruses are not as common as in other environments. These microbes will go dormant in the presence of just a few viruses, whether active or inactive. While inactivated virus particles cannot infect a host, Whitaker's lab found they could still cause dormancy, and ultimately, death in Sulfolobus.

"People thought these inactivated viruses were just an accident, that they were just mispackaged," Whitaker said. "Now we know they are being sensed by the host so they are having an effect. People are starting to think that it is adaptive for the virus to produce inactivated virus particles."

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1. They play dead, like animals do. nt

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2. And they would rather die than risk being infected: a form of ethics? nt