Mimivirus
Mimivirus is an extra-large virus. It was discovered in 1992.
| Mimivirus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mimivirus with two satellite Sputnik virophages (arrows) [1] | |
Virus classification  | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | incertae sedis |
| Kingdom: | incertae sedis |
| Phylum: | incertae sedis |
| Class: | incertae sedis |
| Order: | incertae sedis |
| Family: | Mimiviridae |
| Genus: | Mimivirus |
| Species[source?] | |
| |
APMV was found accidentally inside the amoeba Acanthamoeba polyphaga.[2] The virus was seen in a gram stain and mistakenly thought to be a gram-positive bacterium.
It is either a viral genus with a single species, Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APMV), or it is a group of phylogenetically-related large viruses (MimiN).[3]
In speech, APMV is usually referred to as "mimivirus". Until October 2011, when an even larger virus Megavirus chilensis was described, it was the largest (capsid diameter) of all known viruses.[4]
Mimivirus has a large and complex genome compared with most other viruses. Mimivirus, short for "mimicking microbe", is so called for its large size and Gram-staining properties.[5]
