#Mycoviruses
Know anything about mycoviruses or fungal plasmids? Come see me at #ECFG17 and help me figure out what this circular element is I keep finding in Ascochyta pathogens of lentil and chickpea.
February 28, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Our study on a mycovirus that boosts fungal virulence is now out — and beautifully covered in this Behind the Paper piece by Amariliz Rivera

Huge thanks for capturing the heart of the story so thoughtfully. @natmicrobiol.nature.com rdcu.be/eB9yg
Mycoviruses steer fungal fitness
Nature Microbiology - A mycovirus drives the fitness of the lung-infecting fungus Aspergillus fumigatus under stress, helping it to survive within immune cells, and thus shaping its pathogenesis.
rdcu.be
August 24, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Eeva Vainio talks about mycoviruses and their potential in biocontrol of plant pathogens. #esm2025
June 17, 2025 at 7:30 AM
How little we understand about the #Biodiversity that we are fast trashing.

"While many fungal viruses (mycoviruses) cause asymptomatic infections in their hosts, the mechanisms underlying the induction or suppression of symptoms are not well understood."

phys.org/news/2025-05...
Fungi fight viruses with RNA editing that rewires their genetic response
The expression of symptoms of viral infections is a byproduct of complex virus-host molecular pathways. These remain largely unknown, especially in the case of fungus-virus pathogen systems.
phys.org
May 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Our friend the @shlezingerlab.bsky.social is hiring!
Highly recommended. Working on the fascinating unknown world of mycoviruses.

Her 1st postdoc, Marina Campos Rocha, just started her independent academic position.
September 6, 2026 at 1:44 PM
VERY INTERESTING

AfuPmV-1M, a dsRNA mycovirus in 𝘼𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙪𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙨, boosts fungal stress tolerance, melanin, virulence

In vivo, antiviral (ribavirin) treatment cut viral load and improved mouse survival—mycoviruses are hidden “backseat drivers” of fungal disease

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 22, 2025 at 5:22 AM
No RNAi, big problems 🧬➡️🛑 Mycoviruses 🦠 interfering with RNAi can make fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans more virulent in mouse models. 🐁😷 Fascinating talk from Jun Huang. #fungal26
March 21, 2026 at 9:29 PM
How little we truly understand about the results of 4 billion years of evolution.

""Mycoviruses" may play a critical role in development & progression of fungal diseases, largely gone unnoticed in the field of medical mycology.

#PublicHealth #Biosecurity #AMR
phys.org/news/2025-08...
Viruses hidden within fungi could be secret drivers of deadly lung infections
Researchers have discovered that a virus living inside the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus significantly boosts the fungus's ability to survive stress and cause severe infections in mammals. Removing the...
phys.org
August 22, 2025 at 6:54 AM
“Tobaliviridae”, a new family of filamentous mycoviruses in the order Martellivirales
#virology #virus #viruses #microbiology #MicroSky
@springer.springernature.com
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
January 18, 2026 at 7:08 PM
STSM Report of the Week 🌿

Virulence genes of Diplodia sapinea triggered by abiotic stress using RNA-seq and DGE analyses. New mycoviruses were identified froM RNA-seq data, adding fresh insights into the pathogen's world.

@costprogramme.bsky.social @eterhone.bsky.social @needleblight.bsky.social
February 14, 2025 at 4:25 PM
#NewResearch

A mycovirus infecting the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus enhances its stress tolerance and virulence in mice.

@shlezingerlab.bsky.social #Mycoviruses #FungalPathogenesis #Aspergillus #MicroSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Aspergillus fumigatus dsRNA virus promotes fungal fitness and pathogenicity in the mammalian host - Nature Microbiology
A mycovirus infecting the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus enhances its stress tolerance and virulence in mice.
www.nature.com
August 15, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Incredible work led by Neta! 🚀 Happy and grateful to be part of this deep dive into mycoviruses and pathogenicity. Follow the thread to uncover the science, you won’t want to miss this! 👇 #Mycovirus
🚨 Fungi + viruses + mammalian lungs? Buckle up! Our new paper in
@natmicrobiol.nature.com
uncovers the story of a deadly fungus and its gnarly viral hitchhiker — and how this duo may change how we diagnose & treat fungal disease 🍄🫁🚨 doi.org/10.1038/s415... ⬇️
Aspergillus fumigatus dsRNA virus promotes fungal fitness and pathogenicity in the mammalian host - Nature Microbiology
A mycovirus infecting the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus enhances its stress tolerance and virulence in mice.
doi.org
August 14, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Yesterday we had 4 thesis presentations and a lovely soil group gathering! Esmee (Bsc) had looked at fungal CUE, Nio (Bsc) worked on fungal melanin and stress, Jacco (Msc) worked on fungal traits and interactions and Arman (Msc) on mycoviruses affecting soil functions. All did amazing (1/2)
July 1, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Mycoviruses: a green solution to fungal diseases & pests! M. Heinlein & K.H. Kogel highlight their potential for sustainable crop protection in Journal of plant diseases and protection
🌱🦠 #Biocontrol #PlantHealth
▶️ link.springer.com/journal/41348
January 20, 2025 at 10:12 PM
How can you not stop in your tracks when you see “Yeast Killer” on a slide?? Extremely cool to learn about #mycoviruses from #MengxiTan lab of @marcmeneghini.bsky.social @utoronto.ca. Incredible to see they’ve uncovered even more #viruses with the #1011YeastGenomes #Yeast26 @genetics-gsa.bsky.social
June 17, 2026 at 8:23 PM
This is so timely because I've been thinking a lot about mycoviruses lately!!
March 14, 2024 at 4:52 PM
Last week Alex Rapp successfully defended his PhD thesis on the role of mycoviruses in Aspergillus regulating antifungal immunity.
April 14, 2025 at 6:55 PM
#2025ISMPMI Aurelie Rakotondrafara shows very interesting effects of mycovirus infection of Sclerotinia on virulence on the host plant. Take home to use mycoviruses and plant viruses to limit the spread of fungal pathogens.
July 17, 2025 at 9:21 AM
#News&Views

A mycovirus drives the fitness of the lung-infecting fungus Aspergillus fumigatus under stress, helping it to survive within immune cells, and thus shaping its pathogenesis.

#MicroSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Mycoviruses steer fungal fitness - Nature Microbiology
A mycovirus drives the fitness of the lung-infecting fungus Aspergillus fumigatus under stress, helping it to survive within immune cells, and thus shaping its pathogenesis.
www.nature.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Single-Particle Cryo-EM of Naturally Coexisting Mycoviruses Enables Structural Characterization of Conserved Capsid Folds, Divergent Architectures, and dsRNA Genome Organization www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.07.737079v1 #cryoem
July 9, 2026 at 2:05 PM
To control or not to control Botrytis, that is the question. Jan van Kan talks Botrytis, current controls, novel approach using mycoviruses and breeding to disable susceptibility genes.
@w-u-r.bsky.social
September 11, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Emerging antiviral defense systems in fungi

Preview of work identifying an antiviral defense system in fungi. Mycoviruses trigger expression of RNA-editing enzymes, which catalyze editing of mRNAs encoding zinc finger transcription factors.
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Emerging antiviral defense systems in fungi
In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Honda et al. identify an antiviral defense system in fungi. Mycoviruses trigger the expression of RNA-editing enzymes, which catalyze the editing of mRNAs encodin...
www.cell.com
April 14, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Molecular characterization of four novel mycoviruses in entomopathogenic and nematophagous fungi https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41023721/
October 1, 2025 at 5:25 PM