Transkingdom control of viral infection and immunity in the mammalian intestine

Abstract

Microbial villages shape viral infections Viruses infecting the intestinal tract, such as noroviruses and rotaviruses, are major human pathogens. Despite facing an extreme environment within their hosts, which includes pH gradients, digestive enzymes, and the billions of microbes that inhabit human guts, these viruses somehow manage to survive and often thrive. Pfeiffer and Virgin review the complex microbial encounters that occur between enteric viruses and gut microbiota. Trans-kingdom interactions (that is, between viruses, bacteria, archaea, helminthes, fungi, and phage) are particularly important in shaping the course of a viral infection and the ensuing host immune response. Science , this issue p. 10.1126/science.aad5872