@article{PAR00011501,
  title = {{F}irst {I}solation of a giant virus from wild {H}irudo medicinalis {L}eech : mimiviridae isolation in {H}irudo medicinalis},
  author = {{B}oughalmi, {M}. and {P}agnier, {I}. and {A}herfi, {S}. and {C}olson, {P}. and {R}aoult, {D}idier and {L}a {S}cola, {B}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{G}iant viruses and amoebae are common in freshwater, where they can coexist with other living multicellular organisms. {W}e screened leeches from the species {H}irudo medicinalis for giant viruses. {W}e analyzed five {H}. medicinalis obtained from {T}unisia (3) and {F}rance (2). {T}he leeches were decontaminated and then dissected to remove internal parts for co-culture with {A}canthamoeba polyphaga. {T}he genomes of isolated viruses were sequenced on a 454 {R}oche instrument, and a comparative genomics analysis was performed. {O}ne {M}imivirus was isolated and the strain was named {H}irudovirus. {T}he genome assembly generated two scaffolds, which were 1,155,382 and 25,660 base pairs in length. {F}unctional annotations were identified for 47% of the genes, which corresponds to 466 proteins. {T}he presence of {M}imividae in the same ecological niche as wild {H}irudo may explain the presence of the mimivirus in the digestive tract of the leech, and several studies have already shown that viruses can persist in the digestive tracts of leeches fed contaminated blood. {A}s leeches can be used medically and {M}imiviruses have the potential to be an infectious agent in humans, patients treated with leeches should be surveyed to investigate a possible connection.},
  keywords = {{G}iant virus ; {M}arseilleviridae ; {M}imiviridae ; {M}egaviridae ; {H}irudo medicinalis ; {H}irudovirus},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{V}iruses-{B}asel},
  volume = {5},
  numero = {12},
  pages = {2920--2930},
  ISSN = {1999-4915},
  year = {2013},
  DOI = {10.3390/v5122920},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/{PAR}00011501},
}