Document Detail


The discovery and characterization of Mimivirus, the largest known virus and putative pneumonia agent.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  17554709     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
During recent years, the usefulness of amoebal co-cultures as an alternative means of isolating and cultivating fastidious microorganisms has been increasingly recognized. While characterizing a collection of bacteria that had been isolated using this approach, we encountered an organism that, on preliminary analysis, appeared to be a gram-positive coccus. However, additional examination revealed that it was not a bacterium but rather, surprisingly, a virus. The dimensions of the virus particle (diameter, 0.8 microm) and its genome size (1.2 Mb) are far more akin to those of bacteria than to those of previously recognized viruses. These characteristics, together with such features as the breadth and complexity of its gene content, challenge the current definition of a "virus." Furthermore, the virus, now named "Mimivirus," has been implicated as an agent of pneumonia in humans and, thus, should be considered a putative emerging pathogen.
Authors:
Didier Raoult; Bernard La Scola; Richard Birtles
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2007-05-21
Journal Detail:
Title:  Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America     Volume:  45     ISSN:  1537-6591     ISO Abbreviation:  Clin. Infect. Dis.     Publication Date:  2007 Jul 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2007-06-07     Completed Date:  2007-07-19     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9203213     Medline TA:  Clin Infect Dis     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  95-102     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerrannée, Marseille, France. didier.raoult@gmail.com
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Communicable Diseases, Emerging / virology
DNA Virus Infections / physiopathology
DNA Viruses / genetics,  isolation & purification*,  physiology
Genome, Viral
Humans
Pneumonia / virology*
Virion / physiology*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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