[2] A decade later, Jean-Michel Claverie and Didier Raoult discovered “Bradfordcoccus” was no bacterium when they tried to digest the cell wall with no success.

They were surprised to find that it looked like a giant iridovirus, which are icosahedral viruses that infect insects, fish, and frogs.

It contains a linear double-stranded DNA genome which has a very high coding density that is characteristic of NCLDVs.

The replication factory forms around the viral core and expands until it occupies a large fraction of the amoeba cell volume.

Later stages of the replication cycle involve partially assembled procapsids undergoing DNA packaging.

[6] This causes mamavirus to produce fewer viruses that are often deformed and less effective; there is also evidence of a partial thickening of the capsid.

[8] This indicates that Sputnik can participate in gene-transfer processes and mediate lateral gene transfer between giant viruses.