What is Virovore?

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What is Virovore?

The organisms which eat viruses are called virovore.
It has been identified as an actual species of protist that feasts on viruses.
These virus-eating species of protists which are their kingdom on the tree of life and are not an animal, plants, or fungi are now classified as Virovores.
It is a species of Halteria; microscopic ciliates that populate freshwater worldwide.
The microbe Halteria is a common genus of protists known to flit about as its hair-like cilia propel it through the water.
They’re made up of nucleic acids, nitrogen, and phosphorus. It can eat huge numbers of infectious chloroviruses that share their aquatic habitat.
These organisms can sustain themselves with viruses, consuming many and growing in size.
The new findings may change our understanding of the role viruses play in the food chain at a microscopic level.

Q1) What is Virus?

It is a parasite having nucleic acid, protein, and lipid particles that infect and proliferate in living cells. They have a DNA or RNA core surrounded by a capsid, which is a protein covering.

Source: What is ‘virovore’: An organism that eats viruses discovered