Selfish "defector" viruses can be kept in check by their environment, suggesting a new way to fight infections.

The Takeaway

Viral populations are often a mix of cooperative individuals and cheaters that take advantage of others to replicate. New research shows that these selfish viruses only thrive when many different viruses infect the same cell. In simpler environments where single infections are common, the cheaters quickly die out because they have no one to exploit. This ecological feedback loop keeps the viral population stable and prevents the most aggressive strains from taking over. Doctors could potentially use these defector viruses as a therapy to crash an infection from the inside out. The social dynamics of a virus can be used against it.