Mysterious virus discovered in the world's deepest ocean trench

Researchers discovered a new species of bacteriophage virus at a depth of nearly 8,900 meters in the Mariana Trench.

The wall of a crater in the Mariana Trench. Photo: NOAA

A new virus found in the Mariana Trench is believed to be the deepest-living virus known to researchers. The virus, called vB_HmeY_H4907, exists at a depth of 8,839 meters (28,500 feet) inside the Mariana Trench, where the lowest point on the Pacific Ocean floor is the Challenger Deep (11,000 meters). vB_HmeY_H4907 is a bacteriophage, a type of virus that infects bacteria before exploiting the machinery in their cells to make more copies of itself. The research team, led by marine virologist Min Wang at China Maritime University in Qingdao, published the discovery in the journal Microbiology Spectrum on September 20, according to Live Science .

"To our knowledge, this is the deepest isolated phage in the global ocean," said Wang.

The new virus infects bacteria in the phylum Halomona, meaning it adds its own genetic material to the bacterial genome and replicates without killing the bacteria. This is a result of the harsh environment in which both viruses and bacteria have evolved, making it unable to kill its host.

Halomona bacteria are found in all oceans, including the Antarctic seafloor and in sediments surrounding deep-sea hydrothermal vents. By conducting genetic analysis of vB_HmeY_H4907, the team found that its range is as wide as the bacteria it infects.

Researchers know very little about viruses that live in the deepest parts of the ocean, known as the deep sea. The vB_HmeY_H4907 virus is the third to infect Halomona bacteria that live there. The team says the next step is to find more deep-sea viruses and learn how they interact with their hosts.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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