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Micro World

How small is a mimivirus?

A mimivirus is about 750 nm across.

What is measured: giant virus, capsid diameter

Mimivirus (750 nm) drawn to scale beside a flu virus (100 nm) and an E. coli bacterium (2 µm)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Flu virus (100 nm), Mimivirus (750 nm) and E. coli bacterium (2 µm).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • As wide as about 8 flu viruses side by side
  • About 2 would fit end to end along an E. coli bacterium
  • About 10 would fit across a red blood cell
  • About 30× as wide as a ribosome

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Facts about Mimivirus

Mimivirus is so large it was initially mistaken for a bacterium under a microscope.

Source: Viral Zone: Mimiviridae; La Scola et al. 2003, Science

Micro World

NameSizeCompared with Mimivirus
Collagen Fibril300 nm0.4×
Vaccinia Virus300 nm0.4×
Lysosome500 nm0.67×
Mimivirus750 nmthis page
Neisseria gonorrhoeae800 nm1.1×
Pandoravirus1 µm1.3×
Synechococcus Cyanobacterium1 µm1.3×
Nitrosomonas europaea Bacterium1.5 µm2×
Micrococcus luteus1.5 µm2×
Listeria monocytogenes2 µm2.7×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Mimivirus or Pandoravirus?

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