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The Conversation
The Conversation
J. Thomas Beatty, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia

How bacteria hijack viruses to shuffle their own DNA

Humans can be infected by many viruses, including the Ebola virus pictured here. However, the most diverse viruses are those that infect bacteria. (CDC/Cynthia Goldsmith/Wikimedia Commons)

When you think of viruses, you probably think of flu-like symptoms and quarantines. Humankind has suffered from viral diseases ranging from smallpox to COVID-19, hantavirus and Ebola since the dawn of recorded history.

However, all living organisms are susceptible to viral infections, not just humans. In fact, the greatest number and most diverse collection of viruses are those that infect bacteria.

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