Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Dec 21;12(6):e0249621.
doi: 10.1128/mBio.02496-21. Epub 2021 Nov 2.

The Interplay between the Host Microbiome and Pathogenic Viral Infections

Rubén González  1 , Santiago F Elena  1   2
Affiliations
Review

The Interplay between the Host Microbiome and Pathogenic Viral Infections

Rubén González et al. mBio. .

Abstract

The microorganisms associated with an organism, the microbiome, have a strong and wide impact in their host biology. In particular, the microbiome modulates both the host defense responses and immunity, thus influencing the fate of infections by pathogens. Indeed, this immune modulation and/or interaction with pathogenic viruses can be essential to define the outcome of viral infections. Understanding the interplay between the microbiome and pathogenic viruses opens future venues to fight viral infections and enhance the efficacy of antiviral therapies. An increasing number of researchers are focusing on microbiome-virus interactions, studying diverse combinations of microbial communities, hosts, and pathogenic viruses. Here, we aim to review these studies, providing an integrative overview of the microbiome impact on viral infection across different pathosystems.

Keywords: antiviral treatments; host-microbiome interactions; host-virus interactions; immune modulation; interferon; pathogenesis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
The “One Health” approach seeks an optimal health status for people, animals, and the environment. This goal is constantly threatened by existing and emerging viruses. The microbiome can be a decisive factor to prevent and mitigate the impact of pathogenic viruses. Furthermore, the microbiome can also enhance the effect of the current treatments available against viruses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Berg G, Rybakova D, Fischer D, Cernava T, Vergès M-CC, Charles T, Chen X, Cocolin L, Eversole K, Corral GH, Kazou M, Kinkel L, Lange L, Lima N, Loy A, Macklin JA, Maguin E, Mauchline T, McClure R, Mitter B, Ryan M, Sarand I, Smidt H, Schelkle B, Roume H, Kiran GS, Selvin J, de Souza RSC, van Overbeek L, Singh BK, Wagner M, Walsh A, Sessitsch A, Schloter M. 2020. Microbiome definition re-visited: old concepts and new challenges. Microbiome 8:103. doi:10.1186/s40168-020-00905-x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marchesi JR, Adams DH, Fava F, Hermes GDA, Hirschfield GM, Hold G, Quraishi MN, Kinross J, Smidt H, Tuohy KM, Thomas LV, Zoetendal EG, Hart A. 2016. The gut microbiota and host health: a new clinical frontier. Gut 65:330–339. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2015-309990. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pfeiffer JK, Virgin HW. 2016. Transkingdom control of viral infection and immunity in the mammalian intestine. Science 351:aad5872. doi:10.1126/science.aad5872. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Longford SR, Campbell AH, Nielsen S, Case RJ, Kjelleberg S, Steinberg PD. 2019. Interactions within the microbiome alter microbial interactions with host chemical defences and affect disease in a marine holobiont. Sci Rep 9:1363. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-37062-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ramalho MO, Bueno OC, Moreau CS. 2017. Species-specific signatures of the microbiome from Camponotus and Colobopsis ants across developmental stages. PLoS One 12:e0187461. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0187461. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types