Could a virus use bacteria or fungus as a host cell?

By SWA

Viruses are specifically adapted to infect certain types of cells, and most viruses that infect humans are tailored to infect human cells, not bacteria.

However, there is a type of virus known as a bacteriophage, or simply phage, which specifically infects bacteria. Bacteriophages attach to bacteria and inject their genetic material into the bacterial cell. The phage DNA then uses the bacterial machinery to replicate and produce more viruses, eventually causing the bacterial cell to burst and release new phage particles. This interaction is specific to bacteriophages and the bacteria they infect and is distinct from the way viruses infect eukaryotic cells like human cells.

Names the type of virus known as a bacteriophage, or simply phage, which specifically infects bacteria.

Bacteriophages, commonly referred to as phages, are the type of viruses that specifically infect bacteria. They are among the most common and diverse entities in the biosphere. Phages are highly specialized in targeting bacteria and they play a crucial role in regulating bacterial populations in various environments.

There are several types of bacteriophages, classified based on their morphology and genetic material. The most well-known types include:

  1. Tailed Phages (Caudovirales): These are the most common phages, characterized by their unique tail structures used to inject their genetic material into bacteria. They include families like Myoviridae (with contractile tails), Siphoviridae (with long, non-contractile tails), and Podoviridae (with short tails).

  2. Filamentous Phages: These are long, filamentous viruses, like the M13 phage, which infect bacteria without killing them, instead being released through a process that does not destroy the host.

  3. Microviridae: These are small, icosahedral, single-stranded DNA phages.

  4. Leviviridae: Small, icosahedral, RNA phages.

Phages have a specific affinity for certain species or strains of bacteria, making them a subject of interest for their potential use in phage therapy, an alternative to antibiotics for treating bacterial infections.

Could a virus use a fungus like Candida as a host cell?

There is a group of viruses known as "mycoviruses" that specifically infect fungal species, including various types of yeasts and molds.

Mycoviruses are quite distinct from the viruses that infect animals or plants. They have evolved to exploit the cellular machinery of fungi for their replication and survival. Mycoviruses are typically not known to cause diseases in humans or animals; rather, their impact is primarily observed within the fungal host itself. In some cases, these mycoviruses can alter the growth and pathogenicity of the fungal host.

Regarding Candida, which is a type of yeast, it's theoretically possible for it to be infected by a mycovirus. However, the interaction between mycoviruses and specific fungi like Candida is a specialized field of study and may not be as well-explored as virus-host interactions in animals and plants.

In summary, while a typical animal or plant virus would not infect a fungus like Candida, mycoviruses, which are specialized for fungal hosts, could potentially do so, although their interactions might be complex and specific to particular mycovirus and fungal species.

Read also: Types of Fungal Diseases: Example Candida

 My thanks to Violeta who found these two papers:

COVID-19 Impairs Immune Response to Candida albicans​

COVID-19 patients showed an attenuated monocyte CD80 upregulation and abrogated release of IL-6, TNF, IL-1α, and IL-1β toward Candida albicans.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33717195/

Detrimental effects of COVID-19 in the brain and therapeutic options for long COVID: The role of Epstein–Barr virus and the gut–brain axis​

Furthermore, increasing evidence shows that Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) reactivation after SARS-CoV-2 infection might play a role in long COVID symptoms. Moreover, alterations in the microbiome after SARS-CoV-2 infection might contribute to acute and long COVID symptoms
https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity...of-epstein-barr-virus-and-the-gut-brain-axis/
 
 
My thanks to: GAME ME-ICC for the papers provided.

Detection and Diagnosis of Viral Infections
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7150318/?fbclid=IwAR2tiODTLm-3kSD5l33HTfRfRJUhEZwzgJ3Y0ftVMR9Km4uyJ6xPsb0iPTU

Understanding Acquired Brain Injury: A Review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9496189/?fbclid=IwAR3-G3QdBV_uCUBKPK_GgJdlgWYr7ODXGae4wQbF6IPe7ejT1ru-dY_zQjU

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