Mimivirus

Mimivirus is a genus of viruses, in the family Mimiviridae. Amoeba serve as natural hosts. This genus contains a single identified species named Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APMV), which serves as its type species. It also refers to a group of phylogenetically related large viruses, designated usually "MimiN". In colloquial speech, APMV is more commonly referred to as just "mimivirus". Mimivirus, short for "mimicking microbe", is so called to reflect its large size and apparent Gram-staining properties. Mimivirus has a large and complex genome compared with most other viruses. Until October 2011, when a larger virus Megavirus chilensis was described, it had the largest capsid diameter of all known viruses.