Objective: Following the isolation of a Marseillevirus from
the stool of a healthy young Senegalese and a Mimivirus
from a Tunisian patient with pneumonia, we attempted to
isolate other giant viruses of amoebae from a large human
stool collection. Methods: During the period 2010–2011, a
total of 1,605 stool samples, including 115 from Tunisian patients
with pneumonia, were cultured on amoebae. We used
a recently developed high-throughput isolation system to
detect amoebae plaque lysis on agar plates; this method allows
for the testing of 100 samples per plate per week. The
giant virus was identified by sequencing of genes conserved
in Megavirales. Results: A single giant virus, called Shan, was
isolated from the stool of a Tunisian patient with pneumonia
who responded poorly to antibiotics. This virus has an icosahedral
shape typical of members of the family Mimiviridae
and a size of 640 +/- 10 nm. Phylogenetic analyses showed
that Shan virus was classified as a member of Mimivirus lineage
C that infects amoebae. Conclusion: Only one isolate
was obtained in this study, suggesting that giant viruses of