The Phageome's Role in Health and Disease: Microbial Minutes
The human body is chock full of phages, from the skin to the gut. What role does the phageome have in health and disease?
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Where there are bacteria, there are bacteriophages (phages)—viruses that infect bacteria. Given our bodies are positively packed with bacteria, it comes as no surprise that they are loaded with phages too. However, while we know a lot about the bacteria living in and on us, our understanding of the so-called phageome—and what it means for our health and wellbeing—is less clear. Luckily, emerging research is bringing this mysterious ‘ome into sharper focus. Key take-aways and resources from this Microbial Minutes are listed below.Key Take-Aways
- There are a diverse range of phages in and on the human body; the composition of the phageome varies depending on body location. The gut hosts a substantial community of phages.
- Alterations in the gut phageome have been associated with various diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes. Phages in other body regions are also associated with disease.
- Shifts in the phageome likely reflect and influence changes in the bacterial community, which can, in turn, influence its metabolic functions and interactions with the host and immune responses. Phages can also interact with human cells to impact cellular processes.
- While studying the phageome is complicated by factors like a lack of universal genetic marker, as analytical tools continue to advance, so will our insights on the phageome and all its mysteries.
Sources
- Barron M. Phage Therapy: Past, Present and Future. American Society for Microbiology, Aug. 31, 2022.
- Barron M. Phages and Food: Combatting Bacteria From Farm to Fork. American Society for Microbiology, June 1, 2023.
- Barron M. The Gut Virome’s Role in Health and Disease. American Society for Microbiology, March 9, 2023.
- Bichet M.C., et al. Mammalian cells internalize bacteriophages and use them as a resource to enhance cellular growth and survival. PLoS Biology, Oct. 26, 2023.
- Cao Z., et al. The gut ileal mucosal virome is disturbed in patients with Crohn’s disease and exacerbates intestinal inflammation in mice. Nature Communications, Feb. 22, 2024.
- Castells-Nobau A., et al. Microviridae bacteriophages influence behavioural hallmarks of food addiction via tryptophan and tyrosine signalling pathways. Nature Metabolism, Nov. 25, 2024.
- Chen Q., et al. Enteric Phageome Alterations in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. Frontiers Cellular and Infection Microbiology, Jan. 21, 2021.
- Kan L. and Barr J.J. A Mammalian Cell's Guide on How to Process a Bacteriophage. Annual Review of Virology, Sept. 29, 2023.
- King A. Hidden players: the bacteria-killing viruses of the gut microbiome. Nature, Oct. 31, 2024.
- Khanna K. Marine Viruses: Submerged Players of Climate Change. American Society for Microbiology, June 8, 2023.
- Majzoub M.E., et al. The phageome of patients with ulcerative colitis treated with donor fecal microbiota reveals markers associated with disease remission. Nature Communications, Oct. 17, 2024.
- Mayneris-Perxachs J., et al. Caudovirales bacteriophages are associated with improved executive function and memory in flies, mice, and humans. Cell Host & Microbe, March 9, 2022.
- Rybicka I. and Kaźmierczak Z. The human phageome: niche-specific distribution of bacteriophages and their clinical implications. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 16, 2025.
- Shen S., et al. Expanding the Colorectal Cancer Biomarkers Based on the Human Gut Phageome. Microbiology Spectrum, Dec. 22, 2021.
- Wielscher M., et al. The phageome in normal and inflamed human skin. Science Advances, Sept. 29, 2023.
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