Christopher M. DeRito

Host-independent persistence of the Diadema antillarum Scuticociliatosis Philaster clade in coastal environments

The paper investigates the environmental persistence of the pathogenic ciliate DaScPc outside its host, finding it persists in reef environments independently of D. antillarum and may follow a cryptic 'boom-and-bust' cycle.

A five-fold expansion of the global RNA virome reveals multiple new clades of RNA bacteriophages

The paper expands the global RNA virome by five-fold, identifying new clades of RNA bacteriophages and revealing novel virus-host interactions.