Chlorovirus ATCV-1, a virus mainly found in fresh water algae was discovered by scientists and they are not found in healthy people. This virus strain can alter cognitive functions specifically visual processing and spatial memory.
They claim that when exposed to this infected algae, they will acquire the virus. Most people who are exposed to this are swimmers and those fond of water sports. Yet, they reiterated that this can affect anyone.
Furthermore, they revealed that nearly half of the population may be infected with the virus. The discovery happened when scientists from the John Hopkins Medical School and the University of Nebraska were performing a study about throat microorganisms. They found that the DNA of the microbes in the throat matched the DNA of the virus found in algae. From the 90 participants, 40 of them have been infected with the virus.
When they were tested for intelligence and attention, those who are infected had the worst performance during the test. The test consists of items to gauge the person's accuracy and speed of cognitive abilities; alertness and even visual processing with biographical data were taken into consideration such as educational attainment and age.
To confirm the result, they conducted animal studies. The mice with the virus performed less than those who are not infected. The virus resulted in a problem with genes in the brain and one of the genes affected is the one responsible in producing dopamine. Dopamine is crucial for memory and spatial awareness. However, the scientists said that there are trillions of microorganisms in the body that are still undiscovered.
They are doing their best to identify them and to study their effects on the human body. Professor James Van Etten, a biologist from the University of Nebraska, is the one who discovered the virus in algae about 30 years ago. He said that they discovered the virus in algae but did not suspect in any way that it can actually affect the human body.
