Review article: the human intestinal virome in health and disease

Abstract

Summary Background The human virome consists of animal‐cell viruses causing transient infections, bacteriophage (phage) predators of bacteria and archaea, endogenous retroviruses and viruses causing persistent and latent infections. High‐throughput, inexpensive, sensitive sequencing methods and metagenomics now make it possible to study the contribution dsDNA, ssDNA and RNA virus‐like particles make to the human virome, and in particular the intestinal virome. Aim To review and evaluate the pioneering studies that have attempted to characterise the human virome and generated an increased interest in understanding how the intestinal virome might contribute to maintaining health, and the pathogenesis of chronic diseases. Methods Relevant virome‐related articles were selected for review following extensive language‐ and date‐unrestricted, electronic searches of the literature. Results The human intestinal virome is personalised and stable, and dominated by phages. It develops soon after birth in parallel with prokaryotic communities of the microbiota, becoming established during the first few years of life. By infecting specific populations of bacteria, phages can alter microbiota structure by killing host cells or altering their phenotype, enabling phages to contribute to maintaining intestinal homeostasis or microbial imbalance (dysbiosis), and the development of chronic infectious and autoimmune diseases including HIV infection and Crohn's disease, respectively. Conclusions Our understanding of the intestinal virome is fragmented and requires standardised methods for virus isolation and sequencing to provide a more complete picture of the virome, which is key to explaining the basis of virome‐disease associations, and how enteric viruses can contribute to disease aetiologies and be rationalised as targets for interventions.

Cited by papers we hold 11

• Landscapes of Enteric Virome Signatures in Early-Weaned Piglets · 2022
  Not checked
• Intestinal Stem Cells and Immune Cell Relationships: Potential Therapeutic Targets for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases · 2021
  No notice
• Human intestinal models to study interactions between intestine and microbes · 2020
  Not checked
• Pf Bacteriophage and Their Impact on Pseudomonas Virulence, Mammalian Immunity, and Chronic Infections · 2020
  No notice
• Gut Microbiota beyond Bacteria—Mycobiome, Virome, Archaeome, and Eukaryotic Parasites in IBD · 2020
  No notice
• Factors Affecting the Tissue Damaging Consequences of Viral Infections · 2019
  Not checked
• Bacteriophages in Natural and Artificial Environments · 2019
  No notice
• Gene Therapy Leaves a Vicious Cycle · 2019
  No notice
• Cellular and Molecular Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease—Focusing on Intestinal Barrier Function · 2019
  No notice
• Cytokine Tuning of Intestinal Epithelial Function · 2018
  No notice
• ΦCrAss001 represents the most abundant bacteriophage family in the human gut and infects Bacteroides intestinalis · 2018
  No notice

Reads

A person counts once a day per paper. We keep no cookie and no address: a reader is a hash that changes every day. Any month under five reads shows no number.