Viral members of our microbiota are only just beginning to be identified, presenting new players in the complex relationship between genetic and environmental factors that lead to disease.
The diversity among samples was assessed with a Principal Coordinate Analysis of the microbiota and viral communities, which is represented in the two-dimensional plot in the Figure 6.
Evidence from animal models indicates that the resident gut microbiota shapes anti-viral defences and modulates the outcome of viral infections, with germ free mice more susceptible to a number of infections, including influenza 16.
This paper focuses on the much less studied relationship between eukaryotic viruses and mammalian hosts, and suggests that viral members of the gut microbiota can enter symbiotic relationships providing a beneficial effect similar to that provided by the bacteria colonizing our intestines.
Thus, we aimed to define the healthy microbiota and the viral pathogen-affected microbiota in the upper respiratory tract.
In addition, any association between the type of viral agent and the resultant microbiota profile was assessed.
The role of microbes in colitis has long been observed and studied, and the complex interactions of host genetics, microbiota and even viral triggers have been discussed.
In addition, more work is needed to elucidate the broader interactions between bacterial, viral and fungal components of the microbiota and how they impact airway disease pathogenesis.
Infection by pathogenic viruses results in rapid epithelial damage and significantly impacts on the condition of the upper respiratory tract, thus the effects of viral infection may induce changes in microbiota.
However, most of this work has been performed using standard microbial cultures and PCR-based studies, which provide an incomplete picture of the airway microbiota and little opportunity for viral discovery compared to metagenomic techniques.
