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Do viruses あります or います?

Currently, I'm under the impression that animals and humans use います ([though
see this question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1905/when-is-
it-okay-to-use-%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99-with-a-living-subject)),
while plants and inanimate objects use あります. Do viruses fall under the latter
category?
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2012-04-01T10:14:14.507
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2012-04-02T03:46:43.123
2017-04-13T12:43:44.863
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question
verbs
Do viruses あります or います?
I usually say ウイルスがいます/いるよ, not ウイルスがあります/あるよ.

Edit: So I just found that います may be used more in daily conversations than
scientific articles or theses.
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2012-04-01T10:49:25.553
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2012-04-01T14:04:16.967
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Search on google:

<http://goo.gl/W8hjk> ⇐ います gets less than 10000 results.

<http://goo.gl/ajJq2> ⇐ あります gets 3.3M retuls.

Enough said ?
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2012-04-01T11:51:48.790
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2012-04-01T11:58:57.720
2012-04-01T11:58:57.720
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I personally think both existing answers should be sufficient for this
question, but since they cannot seem to gather consensus, allow me to give it
my own try:

The short answer is that _both_ いる and ある forms can be used in a scientific
(biological) context. Simple as that.

  1. A quick poll of available colleagues gave out that some preferred いる, some preferred ある, but neither form was particularly shocking to their ears. 

  2. Google Scholar gives [16 papers with いる](http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=%22%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B9%E3%81%8C%E3%81%84%E3%82%8B%22&btnG=Search&as_sdt=0,5&as_ylo=&as_vis=0) and [70 with ある](http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=%22%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B9%E3%81%8C%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%22&btnG=Search&as_sdt=0,5&as_ylo=&as_vis=0). There is clearly a preference for the latter, but not so significant that the former could be considered improper.

  3. There is just no way to derive a logical/grammatical (prescriptivist) rule as to which form should be used, considering there is no universal _biological_ consensus as to whether viruses are "alive" (and even less so as to whether they are "animate" or "inanimate" objects). The best you will ever get is a descriptivist rule based on usage.
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