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Review
. 2022 May 1;14(5):950.
doi: 10.3390/v14050950.

Role of Microbiota in Viral Infections and Pathological Progression

Taketoshi Mizutani  1   2 , Aya Ishizaka  2 , Michiko Koga  2 , Takeya Tsutsumi  2 , Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Role of Microbiota in Viral Infections and Pathological Progression

Taketoshi Mizutani et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Viral infections are influenced by various microorganisms in the environment surrounding the target tissue, and the correlation between the type and balance of commensal microbiota is the key to establishment of the infection and pathogenicity. Some commensal microorganisms are known to resist or promote viral infection, while others are involved in pathogenicity. It is also becoming evident that the profile of the commensal microbiota under normal conditions influences the progression of viral diseases. Thus, to understand the pathogenesis underlying viral infections, it is important to elucidate the interactions among viruses, target tissues, and the surrounding environment, including the commensal microbiota, which should have different relationships with each virus. In this review, we outline the role of microorganisms in viral infections. Particularly, we focus on gaining an in-depth understanding of the correlations among viral infections, target tissues, and the surrounding environment, including the commensal microbiota and the gut virome, and discussing the impact of changes in the microbiota (dysbiosis) on the pathological progression of viral infections.

Keywords: COVID-19; HIV; HPV; SARS-CoV-2; dysbiosis; hepatitis virus; infectious disease; microbiome; microbiota; virome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diverse roles of commensal microbiota in viral infections. (A) Schematic representation of the bacterial intervention in viral infection and pathogenesis. The commensal microbiota can interact with invading viruses and play enhancing or suppressive roles to viral infections. The composition of the intestinal microbiota can promote or suppress disease progression. (B) Correlations between microbiota dysbiosis and disease progression in individual viral infections. Transient dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota occurs even in the common cold and mild cases of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, which is considered an additional reaction to the normal immune response (upper left). It is suggested that alterations in the intestinal microbiota are involved in the induction of a cytokine storm in severe cases of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infection (upper right). In chronic viral infections, such as those of HIV, HBV, and HCV, intestinal microbiota and chronic inflammation facilitate the disease progression over time (lower left). The vaginal microbiota before HPV infection has a significant impact on the development of HPV cervical cancer (lower right).
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Grants and funding

This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (grant numbers 21K11592 and 21K07314), the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) (grant numbers 20fk0108472h001, 21wm0325004h0002 and 21HB2005), JST (Moonshot R&D—MILLENNIA Program) (grant number JPMJMS2025), and The University of Tokyo Ushioda Foundation.