A new study led by researchers at the University of South Florida has identified viruses associated with Karenia brevis, the microscopic algae that is known as red tide. “We know that viruses play an important role in the dynamics of harmful algal blooms, but we haven’t known what viruses might be associated with Karenia brevis blooms,” Jean Lim, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at the USF College of Marine Science, said in a statement.