Recent experimental and computational improvements have led to a dramatic increase in the number of viral genome sequences identified primarily from metagenomic samples. On this page, the viral sequences publicly released in IMG/VR, which have been collected from NCBI RefSeq and IMG metagenomes, can be downloaded in bulk (see Download tab). The IMG/VR system (https://img.jgi.doe.gov/vr) serves as a starting point for the analysis of viral genome fragments derived from metagenomic samples: virus detection methods and host assignment approaches in IMG/VR are described in the following papers:
- IMG/VR v1 - https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkw1030
- IMG/VR v2 - https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gky1127
- IMG/VR v3 - https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkaa946
- IMG/VR v4 - https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkac1037
Files are available for each IMG/VR release in separate folders identified by the release date. Available files include:
- nucleotide sequences from viral genomes and contigs (fasta format)
- protein sequences predicted from viral genomes and contigs (fasta format)
- a table listing the characteristics of each viral sequence such as its origin, affiliation, and predicted host (tsv format).
- for release 5 and later: a table listing the information used for host prediction for each viral sequence (when available)
If you use this resource, please cite the appropriate reference corresponding to the IMG/VR version used (for the latest: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkac1037).
The different download releases correspond to different versions of the website as follows:
- IMG_VR_2017-01-01_2 - IMG/VR
- IMG_VR_2018-01-01_3 - IMG/VR v2
- IMG_VR_2018-07-01_4 - IMG/VR v2
- IMG_VR_2020-09-10_5 - IMG/VR v3
- IMG_VR_2020-10-12_5.1 - IMG/VR v3
- IMG_VR_2022-09-20_6 - IMG/VR v4 - all sequences
- IMG_VR_2022-09-20_6.1 - IMG/VR v4 - high-confidence genomes only
- IMG_VR_2022-09-20_7 - IMG/VR v4.1 (bugfix UViG table & protein fasta) - all sequences
- IMG_VR_2022-09-20_7.1 - IMG/VR v4.1 (bugfix UViG table & protein fasta) - high-confidence genomes only
