UNL, Johns Hopkins researchers ID algae-virus DNA in humans

The DNA of a virus once thought confined to the cells of algae may in fact invade the biological kingdom of mice and men, according to a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins and UNL. The researchers, whose paper appeared Oct. 27 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, found DNA resembling that of an algae-native chlorovirus while taking throat swabs from healthy subjects during a study on cognitive functioning. The discovery represents the first documented case of chlorovirus gene sequences in the human throat cavity, the researchers reported. “Chloroviruses are worldwide,” said senior author James Van Etten, William Allington Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology and a co-director of the Nebraska Center for Virology, who helped discover their existence in green algae more than 30 years ago. “They’re very common among inland bodies of fresh water such as lakes and ponds. “But I don’t know of many examples of viruses jumping from...