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Humans are colonized by large number of microorganisms—bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The overall genome of entire viruses that either lives on or inside the human body makes up the human virome and is indeed an essential fraction of the human metagenome. Humans are constantly exposed to viruses as they are ubiquitously present on earth. The human virobiota encompasses eukaryotic viruses, bacteriophages, retroviruses, and even giant viruses. With the advent of Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and ongoing development of numerous bioinformatic softwares, identification and taxonomic characterization of viruses have become easier. The viruses are abundantly present in humans; these can be pathogenic or commensal. The viral communities occupy various niches in the human body. The viruses start colonizing the infant gut soon after birth in a stepwise fashion and the viral composition diversify according to their feeding habits. Various factors such as diet, age, medications, etc. influence and shape the human virome. The viruses interact with the host immune system and these interactions have beneficial or detrimental effects on their host. The virome composition and abundance change during the course of disease and these alterations impact the immune system. Hence, the virome population in healthy and disease conditions influences the human host in numerous ways. This review presents an overview of assembly and composition of the human virome in healthy asymptomatic individuals, changes in the virome profiles, and host–virome interactions in various disease states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanometabolites are active compounds derived from cyanobacteria that include small low molecular weight peptides, oligosaccharides, lectins, phenols, fatty acids, and alkaloids. Some of these compounds may pose a threat to human and environment. However, majority of them are known to have various health benefits with antiviral properties against pathogenic viruses including Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Ebola virus (EBOV), Herpes simplex virus (HSV), Influenza A virus (IAV) etc. Cyanometabolites classified as lectins include scytovirin (SVN), Oscillatoria agardhii agglutinin (OAAH), cyanovirin-N (CV-N), Microcystis viridis lectin (MVL), and microvirin (MVN) also possess a potent antiviral activity against viral diseases with unique properties to recognize different viral epitopes. Studies showed that a small linear peptide, microginin FR1, isolated from a water bloom of Microcystis species, inhibits angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), making it useful for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our review provides an overview of the antiviral properties of cyanobacteria from the late 90s till now and emphasizes the significance of their metabolites in combating viral diseases, particularly severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has received limited attention in previous publications. The enormous medicinal potential of cyanobacteria is also emphasized in this review, which justifies their use as a dietary supplement to fend off pandemics in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardio-metabolic disease is a significant global health challenge with increasing prevalence. Recent research underscores the disruption of gut microbial balance as a key factor in disease susceptibility. We aimed to characterize the gut microbiota composition and function in cardio-metabolic disease and healthy controls. For this purpose, we collected stool samples of 18 subjects (12 diseased, 6 healthy) and we performed metagenomics analysis and functional prediction using QIIME2 and PICRUSt. Furthermore, we carried out assessments of microbe–gene interactions, gene ontology, and microbe–disease associations. Our findings revealed distinct microbial patterns in the diseased group, particularly evident in lower taxonomic levels with significant variations in 14 microbial features. The diseased cohort exhibited an enrichment of Lachnospiraceae family, correlating with obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic disturbances. Conversely, reduced levels of Clostridium, Gemmiger, and Ruminococcus genera indicated a potential inflammatory state, linked to compromised butyrate production and gut permeability. Functional analyses highlighted dysregulated pathways in amino acid metabolism and energy equilibrium, with perturbations correlating with elevated branch-chain amino acid levels—a known contributor to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. These findings were consistent across biomarker assessments, microbe–gene associations, and gene ontology analyses, emphasizing the intricate interplay between gut microbial dysbiosis and cardio-metabolic disease progression. In conclusion, our study unveils significant shifts in gut microbial composition and function in cardio-metabolic disease, emphasizing the broader implications of microbial dysregulation. Addressing gut microbial balance emerges as a crucial therapeutic target in managing cardio-metabolic disease burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perinatal HIV infection is characterized by faster HIV disease progression and higher initial rate of HIV replication compared to adults. While antiretroviral therapy (ART) has greatly reduced HIV replication to undetectable levels, there is persistent elevated inflammation associated with HIV disease progression. Alteration of gut microbiota is associated with increased inflammation in chronic adult HIV infection. Here, we aim to study the gut microbiome and its role in inflammation in treated and untreated HIV-infected children. Examination of fecal microbiota revealed that perinatally infected children living with HIV had significantly higher levels of genus Prevotella that persisted despite ART. These children also had higher levels of soluble CD14 (sCD14), a marker of microbial translocation, and IP-10 despite therapy. The Prevotella positively correlated with IP-10 levels in both treated and untreated HIV-infected children, while genus Prevotella and species Prevotella copri was inversely associated with CD4 count. Relative abundance of genus Prevotella and species Prevotella copri showed positive correlation with sCD14 in ART-suppressed perinatally HIV-infected children. Our study suggests that gut microbiota may serve as one of the driving forces behind the persistent inflammation in children despite ART. Reshaping of microbiota using probiotics may be recommended as an adjunctive therapy along with ART. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]