Viruses in the faecal microbiota of monozygotic twins and their mothers

Abstract

Viral diversity and lifecycles are poorly understood in the human gut and other body habitats. Therefore, we sequenced the viromes (metagenomes) of virus-like particles isolated from fecal samples collected from adult female monozygotic twins and their mothers at three time points over a one-year period. These datasets were compared to datasets of sequenced bacterial 16S rRNA genes and total fecal community DNA. Co-twins and their mothers share a significantly greater degree of similarity in their fecal bacterial communities than do unrelated individuals. In contrast, viromes are unique to individuals regardless of their degree of genetic relatedness. Despite remarkable interpersonal variations in viromes and their encoded functions, intrapersonal diversity is very low, with >95% of virotypes retained over the period surveyed, and with viromes dominated by a few temperate phage that exhibit remarkable genetic stability. These results indicate that a predatory viral-microbial dynamic, manifest in a number of other characterized environmental ecosystems, is notably absent in the very distal intestine.

Comparative study of viromes from freshwater samples of the Ile-Balkhash region of Kazakhstan captured through metagenomic analysis

“…Viral infection also facilitates the transfer of genes among phages and their hosts, thereby promoting a wide variety of life on the planet. [25] Additionally, phage can also affect human health, for example, by changing pathogenic properties of bacteria such as Vibrio cholerae [26], or by interacting with bacteria present in the human microbiome [27,28]. Therefore, the study of viromes diversity in the reservoirs is of great importance for characterization of the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems.…”

Characterization of virus-like particles associated with the human faecal and caecal microbiota

“…Although 75 metagenomic studies have greatly improved our understanding of the virome associated with 76 the human and murine gut microbiomes, it has been notable how little bacteriophage 77 material, and consequently DNA, has been isolated from samples when this information was 78 included in a publication. Reyes et al [11] reported the isolation of ~500 ng DNA from 2 to 5 79 g of frozen faeces, whereas Thurber et al [15] stated that between 500 and 3000 ng of DNA 80 could be isolated from 500 g of human faeces, though the publication they cite [9] provides 81 no information regarding the amount of DNA isolated from the 500 g faecal sample 82 examined in the original study. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, no attempts have 83 been made to enumerate bacteriophages in faecal filtrates prior to CsCl purification.…”

“…Using frozen samples from four adult female monozygotic twins and 58 their mothers, Reyes et al [11] demonstrated that each individual harbours a unique virome…”

Immunostimulation in the era of the metagenome

“…This study found that 81% of the reads generated from this virome do not match any known viruses. 7 In concert with a number of privately funded groups, two major multisite collaborations, the US-based NIH Human Microbiome Project and MetaHIT, an EU consortium, have begun the process of detailing the human microbiota. 5,8 Thus far, the Human Microbiome Project has committed itself to collecting sequence data from several key body sites: the gastrointestinal tract, oral cavity, urogenital/vaginal tract, skin, respiratory tract and, to a lesser extent, the blood.…”

“…During the same period of time, EJ's creatinine dropped to 0.76. As of September 2010, EJ reports her musculoskeletal pain as 0, but still complains of fatigue [5][6][7] and cognitive problems. 6,7 Her latest kidney readings are a creatinine of 0.79 and eGFR of 75.9.…”