A new study points to the gut virome as the culprit in intestinal bowel disease. NIH/NAID/IMAGE.FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
- The human microbiome contains a community of microorganisms that include viruses. This is called the human virome, a community of both beneficial and pathogenic viruses.
- The virome begins at birth and may be an equally important factor in health as the microbiome.
- A new study finds that virome particles from people with IBD can cause inflammation when they are transplanted into human intestinal tissue.
While we may consider ourselves individuals, each of us is a walking community of microorganisms. In our intestinal tract, we host trillions of microbes that keep us healthy and can make us sick, collectively known as the microbiome. We also have countless microscopic lifeforms on our skin and elsewhere.
Given the attention paid to research regarding the role it plays in health and sickness, most of us have heard of the microbiome. Less known, and the subject of a new study, is the virome, a collection of viruses – some beneficial and some not — that we also host.
A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital suggests disturbances in the intestinal virome may be a cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are considered forms of IBD.
Dr. Kate L. Jeffrey, the corresponding author of the study, elaborated on the virome to Medical News Today:
“Given that the name ‘virus’ was coined from the Latin word meaning slimy liquid or poison and that viruses are considered obligate pathogens, a possibly ‘beneficial virome’ is surprising to many. The human intestinal virome is established at birth and dominated by bacteria-infecting viruses, while eukaryotic viruses gradually emerge after birth, and then both populations are shaped throughout life.”
“[M]uch like the microbiome, we humans never exist without a virome.”
— Dr. Kate L. Jeffrey
Previous research has suggested a correlation between disturbances in the virome and diseases such as IBD, but the authors of the study sought to move science’s understanding forward.
“As immunologists, we wanted to move beyond correlations and test if the virome, akin to the microbiome, autonomously contributes to human health, and when perturbed if it triggers inflammation and provokes disease,” said Dr. Jeffrey.
They got their answer by transplanting enriched virus-like particles (VLP) from people without intestinal inflammation and people with IBD.
The study is published in Science Immunology.
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