The gut microbiome, or the community of bacteria that resides in the human digestive system, plays
However, what is known about the microbiome in general is surprising.few. Although the microbiome includes a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses, previous research has focused primarily on gut bacteria. The fact is that they are much easier to detect.
In a new study, a group of researchersused the method of metagenomics to identify viruses. It includes the analysis of all the genetic material of the bacterial community and the subsequent comparison of the found individual sequences with specific species. They analyzed over 28,000 gut microbiome samples from people in 28 countries.
During this process, the complete genomes of more than 140 thousand species of viruses living in the human intestine were identified. However, it is worth noting that one person carries only a small part of these species.
The intestines are mainly inhabited by bacteriophages, orphages. These are viruses that selectively infect bacterial and archaeal cells. Most often, bacteriophages multiply inside bacteria and cause their lysis. Typically, a bacteriophage consists of a protein shell and genetic material of single-stranded or double-stranded nucleic acid.
Researchers have limited their optionsbacteriophages, as we tried to find out their role in human health. Most of them are not harmful to humans and are simply an integral part of the microbiota of our body, but perhaps their functions do not end there.
Phages may play a central role in the gut microbiome—for example, by providing beneficial properties to their bacterial hosts and influencing how those bacteria develop.
Since bacterial communities area critical component of our gut, it is not hard to imagine that phages may play a key role in maintaining a healthy balance in the human gut. However, there are cases when phages contributed to the development of the disease. For example, diphtheria, a serious bacterial infection, and botulism, a serious disease that affects the body's nerves. The disease is caused by toxins that are encoded by phage genes.
In an interview for Live Science, scientists said,that they published the genomes of viruses that invaded bacteria in a new database they created called the Intestinal Phage Database. Scientists said it could be used to conduct further research on these viruses.
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