CHENNAI: In an international collaboration, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and leading US institutions have unravelled the hidden world of viruses thriving in freshwater ecosystems — a study that could revolutionise medicine and ecosystem management.
Led by Karthik Anantharaman, visiting professor at the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, IIT-M, and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the team employed machine learning tools to analyse 465 water samples from lakes in Madison, Wisconsin, collected over more than 20 years.
According to IIT-M, this research represented the longest DNA-based environmental monitoring effort in the world and has been published in Nature Microbiology. “The study emphasises the crucial ecological roles of viruses, revealing that they not only influence microbial communities but also support environmental stability. One of the most promising applications to emerge is phage therapy, which uses viruses called bacteriophages to selectively eliminate harmful bacteria — a potential game-changer in the global fight against antibiotic-resistant infections,” a release issued by IIT-M said.
Karthik pointed out that though COVID-19 underscored the importance of tracking viruses, a long-term study in natural environments was rare. “Our findings bridge a critical knowledge gap, enabling better pandemic preparedness and insights into environmental health,” he noted.
By employing metagenomics — sequencing all DNA in a sample —researchers reconstructed 1.3 million virus genomes, the largest collection of its kind. Key findings include seasonal and annual viral cycles, gene exchange between viruses and hosts, and how pollution-linked factors like carbon and ammonium levels shape viral populations.
Added Karthik: “Viruses, often misunderstood as mere pathogens, are ecological regulators — much like apex predators in natural habitats.”
The study’s insights could reshape strategies for water management, disease prevention, and restoration of polluted lakes, “potentially preventing toxic algal blooms and ensuring cleaner water bodies for the future”, added the release.