What is the denominator for giant-virus prevalence?
Before interpreting the expanded diversity in GVMAGs V2, contamination and compositional context need to be visible. The catalogue contains 18,727 metagenome-assembled genomes, and alternative or custom genetic codes changed gene calling in more than 1,300 of them. A direct diagnostic would compare prevalence, coverage breadth, and normalized abundance against extraction blanks and library controls, using a stated denominator such as total reads, viral reads, or reads mapped to the catalogue. Which negative controls were processed through assembly and genome recovery, and do the rare lineages remain distinguishable from reagent or batch signals?
