Question: What is the most interesting virus that you have come across?

Ian Hands-Portman answered on 11 Mar 2014:

Gemini virus ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geminivirus – but the pictures aren’t great ) – I worked on it for three years, I worked on the one that attacks maize and can wipe out huge areas of crop so it’s of real concern in warm countries.

What makes it interesting is the shape of the outside – the capsid or coat as we call it, most viruses make an icosohedron – a 20 sided shape made of triangles. Gemni makes something peanut shaped by taking two of these icosohedra, leaving off one face and sticking them together – after years of research we still have no idea why – it breaks all the ‘rules’ of how viruses form and there doesn’t seem to be a good reason for it.