Microbiologist Professor Ben Cocks in 2013 at the La Trobe University pond where the Pandoravirus was found. Photo: Ken Irwin
Edward Holmes, a professor of infectious diseases and biosecurity at the University of Sydney, was cautious of the findings.
"What's interesting [about the new virus] is viral diversity; it's cool that they're so big, and I'm querying the age, but the risk? None."
"We are more at risk from the standard microbiological fauna that floats around," he told Fairfax Media.
Representatives of the four 'giant' virus families: Mollivirus, Megavirus, Pithovirus and Pandoravirus under a scanning electron microscope.
Representatives of the four 'giant' virus families: Mollivirus, Megavirus, Pithovirus and Pandoravirus under a scanning electron microscope. Photo: PNAS
Professor Holmes said: "The problem with things this old is that DNA degrades quite quickly. So trying to get any material that is that old is very, very difficult.
"The oldest pathogen [we have identified] is plague bacterium going back 1500 years - and that was was very degraded. Here you have an intact virus going back 30,000 years so it would have to have been absolutely, instantaneously frozen and [then experience] no thawing or degradation. That's a tough call for me ... I'd like the age to be independently verified."
