How 'good' Viruses May Influence Health

How 'good' viruses may influence health

Although the role of "good" viruses in human health is still relatively mysterious, we are slowly unraveling the importance of our viral visitors. In this special feature, we introduce a neglected section of the microbiome the virome

Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 11th February, 2020) Although the role of "good" viruses in human health is still relatively mysterious, we are slowly unraveling the importance of our viral visitors. In this special feature, we introduce a neglected section of the microbiome the virome.The role of bacteria and our microbiome in health and disease is at the forefront of medical research.We are a long way from answering the many questions posed by recent findings, but it is now firmly established that without our personal fleet of "friendly" microorganisms our microbiome we would not thrive.

What is the virome?When we hear the word "microbiome," we immediately think of bacteria, but technically, the microbiome is the sum of all microorganisms in a particular environment. Some scientists use the term to refer to the sum of the genetic material of these microorganisms.So, aside from bacteria, the microbiome also includes viruses (the virome) and fungi (the mycobiome), among other visitors. To date, scientists have paid comparatively little attention to the virome or mycobiome.

Viruses have made themselves at home in a range of ecological niches in the human body, especially on mucosal surfaces, such as the insides of the nose and mouth and the lining of the gut.Introducing the bacteriophageScientists consider the virome to be "the largest, the most diverse, and the most dynamic part of [the] microbiome," and the majority of the viruses in our guts are bacteriophages. Wherever there are bacteria, there are bacteriophages in abundance.

Phage therapyFrom the 1920s to the 1950s, scientists investigated whether bacteriophages could be used to treat bacterial infections. After all, these viruses are adept at destroying human pathogens.Scientists found that phage therapy was both effective and, importantly, free from side effects.From symbiosis to dysbiosisBacteriophages, as mentioned, destroy bacteria. However, in some situations, bacteriophages can benefit populations of bacteria.

In the gut, bacteriophages predominantly exist as prophages. In this stage, their genetic code is incorporated into a bacterium's genome, ready to produce bacteriophages if activated.At this point in their life, a bacteriophage is not harmful to a bacterium they exist in symbiosis.Because bacteria can exchange genetic material with each other, the genetic code of prophages can also be transferred between individual bacteria.They can exchange "genes associated with antibiotic resistance, virulence, or metabolic pathways between different bacterial species.

" This could benefit some bacterial species, potentially allowing them to broaden their niche. However, the growth could be at the expense of other colonies of bacteria in the gut.From dysbiosis to diagnosisDysbiosis is associated with a range of conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, obesity, Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection, and colitis. However, researchers are still unsure of the role of bacteriophages in these conditions.

In these cases, dysbiosis might occur via other mechanisms. Alternately, it might be a symptom of the conditions, rather than the cause.Researchers have observed changes in gut bacteria in a surprisingly varied range of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, schizophrenia,depression, anxiety, Parkinson's disease, and many more.The trouble with virusesStudying bacteria is far from easy; after all, they are incredibly small. Bacteria are generally 0.4-10 micrometers across. To provide some context: 10 micrometers is just one-hundredth of a millimeter or four ten-thousandths of an inch.Viruses, however, are even smaller, at just 0.02-0.4 micrometers across.Aside from the difficulties inherent in working on such a tiny scale, viruses pose other challenges.If scientists want to understand which bacterial species are present in any given population, they extract genetic information.