P. sibericum is, on the scale of viruses, a giant – it has 500 genes, whereas the influenza virus has only 8. It is the first in a new category of viral whoppers, a family known as Megaviridae, for which two other categories already exist. Unlike the flu virus, though, P. sibericum is harmless to humans and animals, for it only infects a type of amoeba called Acanthamoeba, the researchers said. The work shows that viruses can survive being locked up in the permafrost for extremely long periods, France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said in a press statement. "It has important implications for public-health risks in connection with exploiting mineral or energy resources in Arctic Circle regions that are becoming more and more accessible through global warming," it said.
Giant, 30,000-year-old virus from permafrost is reborn