Marine Viruses: the Beneficial Side of a Threat

Abstract

Marine viruses are ubiquitous, extremely diverse, and outnumber any form of life in the sea. Despite their ecological importance, viruses in marine environments have been largely ignored by the academic community, and only those that have caused substantial economic losses have received more attention. Fortunately, our current understanding on marine viruses has advanced considerably during the last decades. These advances have opened new and exciting research opportunities as several unique structural and genetic characteristics of marine viruses have shown to possess an immense potential for various biotechnological applications. Here, a condensed overview of the possibilities of using the enormous potential offered by marine viruses to develop innovative products in industries as pharmaceuticals,

Exploring the Potential of Using Marine-Derived Ingredients: From the Extraction to Cutting-Edge Cosmetics

“…Astoundingly, marine viruses outnumber any living organism in the sea and have enormous potential in biotechnology, including in the cosmetic industry [92].…”

“…English researchers from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Sanger Institute in Cambridge discovered that EhV-86, a marine virus, contains a cluster of at least seven genes that encodes several components of sphingolipid biosynthesis after the virus' genome had been sequenced. These components then lead to the formation of ceramides, which have been increasingly used in the cosmetics industry as active ingredients due to their skin protection and hydration properties [92]. The use of ceramides from marine sources has several advantages, because, similarly to collagen, the animal sources used nowadays have a risk of contamination with pathogenic agents such as bacteria or prions (BSE, for example) [92].…”

“…These components then lead to the formation of ceramides, which have been increasingly used in the cosmetics industry as active ingredients due to their skin protection and hydration properties [92]. The use of ceramides from marine sources has several advantages, because, similarly to collagen, the animal sources used nowadays have a risk of contamination with pathogenic agents such as bacteria or prions (BSE, for example) [92].…”

aquasaúde: A mobile application for educational training on prevention of shrimp pathogen-associated diseases

“…Unfortunately, stress factors, as high population densities, often occur in aquaculture farming facilities, creating suitable conditions for the emergence, establishment and transmission of new pathogens (Murray & Peeler, ). Thus, the entry of pathogens into crustacean breeding systems increases the mortality of stocks and compromises production, causing significant economic losses for the sector (Sánchez‐Paz, ; Sánchez‐Paz et al., ; Vega‐Heredia, Mendoza‐Cano, & Sánchez‐Paz, ). Among the main pathogens affecting the Brazilian shrimp production are the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV), infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) and the necrotizing hepatopancreatitis bacterium (NHP‐B) (Negreiros & Santos, ).…”