The gut virome and the relevance of temperate phages in human health

Alterations in the gut virome impact human health. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, dominate the gut virome and are mainly composed by virulent and temperate phages. While virulent phages exclusively replicate within and lyse their bacterial host's cell, temperate phages switch from an integrated state residing within their bacterial host's chromosome to an induced free virion state via an induction event. How often do these induction events occur and what are their implications on gut homeostasis? Here, we summarize the current knowledge of the gut virome based on metagenomics and present how the proportion of induced temperate phages varies amongst individuals, age, and disease states. Finally, we highlight the importance of building upon classical culture-dependent techniques and sequencing approaches to improve our understanding of temperate phages to enable their potential therapeutic use.

Automated summary

Alterations in the gut virome have an impact on human health, particularly due to the dominance of bacteriophages. These phages can be virulent or temperate, and while virulent phages solely replicate within and destroy bacterial cells, temperate phages can switch between an integrated state and a free virion state. This review summarizes current knowledge of the gut virome, discusses the variation in the proportion of induced temperate phages among individuals, age, and disease states, and emphasizes the importance of further research to better understand temperate phages for potential therapeutic use.