School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Immunol Rev. 2017 Sep;279(1):106-122. doi: 10.1111/imr.12565.
The human body is colonized by a diverse collective of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. The smallest entity of this microbial conglomerate are the bacterial viruses. Bacteriophages, or phages for short, exert significant selective pressure on their bacterial hosts, undoubtedly influencing the human microbiome and its impact on our health and well-being. Phages colonize all niches of the body, including the skin, oral cavity, lungs, gut, and urinary tract. As such our bodies are frequently and continuously exposed to diverse collections of phages. Despite the prevalence of phages throughout our bodies, the extent of their interactions with human cells, organs, and immune system is still largely unknown. Phages physically interact with our mucosal surfaces, are capable of bypassing epithelial cell layers, disseminate throughout the body and may manipulate our immune system. Here, I establish the novel concept of an "intra-body phageome," which encompasses the collection of phages residing within the classically "sterile" regions of the body. This review will take a phage-centric view of the microbiota, human body, and immune system with the ultimate goal of inspiring a greater appreciation for both the indirect and direct interactions between bacteriophages and their mammalian hosts.
人体被包括细菌、真菌、原生动物和病毒在内的多种微生物定植。这个微生物群体中最小的实体是细菌病毒。噬菌体，简称 phages，对其细菌宿主施加了显著的选择压力，无疑影响了人类微生物组及其对健康和幸福的影响。噬菌体定植于人体的所有部位，包括皮肤、口腔、肺部、肠道和尿路。因此，我们的身体经常并持续地暴露于各种噬菌体的集合中。尽管噬菌体在我们体内普遍存在，但它们与人类细胞、器官和免疫系统相互作用的程度在很大程度上仍然未知。噬菌体与我们的黏膜表面物理相互作用，能够绕过上皮细胞层，在全身传播，并可能操纵我们的免疫系统。在这里，我提出了一个新的概念，即“体内噬菌体组”，它包含了存在于身体“无菌”区域的噬菌体集合。本综述将从噬菌体的角度来看待微生物组、人体和免疫系统，最终目的是激发人们对噬菌体与其哺乳动物宿主之间的间接和直接相互作用的更大关注。
