Why viruses could be as important for good health as gut bacteria

We often hear about the importance of the human microbiome—the vast collection of bacteria and fungi that live on and inside us—when it comes to our health. But there’s another, equally important part of this microbial community that remains far less known: the virome. The virome consists of all the viruses that inhabit our bodies. This includes those that infect human cells, bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) and the viruses we acquire from our diet and environment. Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth, with an estimated 10³¹ viral particles globally and about 10¹³ in each human being. Read More