The Role of the Virome in the Gut-Liver Axis

Eukaryotic and prokaryotic viruses have been recognized as an important part and driver of the human gut microbiota within the past decades and are even present in greater numbers than bacteria. Unfortunately, viruses are much harder to study than bacteria, but improvements in laboratory techniques, sequencing and bioinformatics have paved the way for studies elucidating the impact of viruses on human health and disease. The viral genomes of the human gut are collectively called the virome and this chapter will outline the challenges in studying these, the difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic viruses and the impact of viruses on human health and disease, with a focus on how the virome impacts patients with chronic liver disease.