Viruses are the oldest and most numerous biological object on Earth, which has become an integral part of all higher forms of life - bacteria, fungi, plants, animals and humans. With most of their hosts, viruses are in balance and rarely cause them any  damage. In some fungi that damages plants, viruses are found to reduce the ability of the fungus to act as a pathogen: they limit their growth rate, reduces sporulation and/or its ability to infect a particular  host. 

The collection includes predominantly isolates of phytopathogenic fungi, in which the presence of dsRNA was detected. 

Examples of fungal cultures and corresponding dsRNA spectra