Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2011 Feb;9(2):99-108.
doi: 10.1038/nrmicro2491. Epub 2011 Jan 4.

The good viruses: viral mutualistic symbioses

Marilyn J Roossinck  1
Affiliations
Review

The good viruses: viral mutualistic symbioses

Marilyn J Roossinck. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

Although viruses are most often studied as pathogens, many are beneficial to their hosts, providing essential functions in some cases and conditionally beneficial functions in others. Beneficial viruses have been discovered in many different hosts, including bacteria, insects, plants, fungi and animals. How these beneficial interactions evolve is still a mystery in many cases but, as discussed in this Review, the mechanisms of these interactions are beginning to be understood in more detail.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Mol Ecol. 2003 Jun;12(6):1619-28 - PubMed
    1. Oecologia. 2005 Aug;145(1):153-64 - PubMed
    1. J Infect Dis. 1998 Jun;177(6):1723-6 - PubMed
    1. Adv Parasitol. 2009;70:333-63 - PubMed
    1. J R Soc Med. 2004 Dec;97(12):560-5 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources