Estimated number of viral particles on earth

Value 1E+31 viral particles
Organism Biosphere
Reference Minot S, Bryson A, Chehoud C, Wu GD, Lewis JD, Bushman FD. Rapid evolution of the human gut virome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jul 23 110(30):12450-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1300833110. p.12450 left column 2nd paragraphPubMed ID23836644
Primary Source [1] Rohwer F (2003) Global phage diversity. Cell 113(2):141. [2] Schoenfeld T, et al. (2010) Functional viral metagenomics and the next generation of molecular tools. Trends Microbiol 18(1):20–29. [3] Suttle CA (2005) Viruses in the sea. Nature 437(7057):356–361.PubMed ID12705861, 19896852, 16163346
Comments "There are an estimated 10^31 viral particles on earth, and human feces contain at least 10^9 virus-like particles per gram (primary sources). Many of these are identifiable as viruses that infect bacteria (bacteriophages), but the great majority remains unidentified." See Lošdorfer Božič A et al., 2013 PMID 23860870 p.2 top line: "Viruses are the most abundant source of DNA and proteins in Earth’s oceans that contain on the order of 10^30 virions [ref 1, C. Suttle, Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 5, 801 (2007)]."
Entered by Uri M
ID 110706