If I'm not mistaken, they gound that the virus induce TLR3-mediated interferon respinse?

transmission is strictly intracellular, so they’re entirely dependent on the fungus for survival.

Great question! There are quite a few mycoviruses in plant pathogenic fungi that can weaken virulence, but as far as I know, none that outright kill their fungal host. Unlike most viruses, mycoviruses don’t have an extracellular phase

Intriguing idea! now if only the funding agencies loved it as much as the fungi do 😂

Mazal tov Professor 🫡

Thanks so much, Marc! 🙏
This work was very much inspired by your phenomenal studies on yeast mycoviruses. We’re standing on your shoulders here 💪

Thanks @seanaduggan.bsky.social 🙏

💰 And of course, thanks to
@erc.europa.eu , CIFAR,
and the Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program
— without your support, this story would still be stuck in our grant drafts 🎯

✨ @laurafabre.bsky.social & @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social — for brilliant support, sharp insights, and being the kind of collaborators everyone wishes they had
Couldn’t have done it without you — and honestly, wouldn’t have wanted to 🎯

🎉 Mega thanks to:
✨ Vanda Lerer — for boldly launching this exciting line of research
✨ Marina Rocha — for expertly steering this project and bringing it triumphantly across the finish line
✨ John Adeoye & all Shlezinger lab members — for your unwavering support and teamwork at every stage ⬇️

So maybe the next time someone has a fungal infection, the question shouldn’t just be “Which fungus?” but also “Which virus is it carrying?"

And speaking of things riding along — time to thank the amazing people who made this journey possible 👇

Why does this matter?
🧪 Mycoviruses are barely on the radar in human disease.
Our work shows they:
✔️ Shape fungal virulence
✔️ Influence host–pathogen interactions
✔️ Could be diagnostic markers
✔️ May be therapeutic targets ⬇️

💡 Therapeutic twist:
We treated infected mice with antivirals during fungal infection.
Result?
📉 Lower mycovirus load
📈 Higher mouse survival
Suggesting that targeting the virus could be a new way to fight fungal disease. ⬇️

When we “cured” the fungus of its virus, it:
⬇️ Made fewer spores
⬇️ Produced less melanin
⬇️ was less stress resistant
⬇️ Was less virulent in mice
Turns out, the virus helps the fungus fit the harsh environment of the host. ⬇️

Our culprit: AfuPmV-1M, a dsRNA virus that’s set up permanent residence inside A. fumigatus. Turns out this isn’t just a harmless hitchhiker- it’s wired into the regulation of key fungal processes, boosting heat resistance, dodging oxidative bursts, and helping the fungus thrive in mouse lungs. ⬇️

Meet Aspergillus fumigatus — responsible for ~65% of all invasive fungal infections in humans, with mortality rates up to 50%.
We asked: could a mycovirus (a virus that infects fungi) be quietly steering fungal disease in humans?⬇️