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Updated: Nov 10, 2025

Generation and Assembly of Virus-Specific Nucleocapsids of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus
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Assembly of the virome in newborn human infants

Frederic Bushman1, Guanxiang Liang1

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicinse, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6076, USA.

Current Opinion in Virology
|April 4, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The infant gut virome is stepwise colonized, initially by bacterial prophages and later by human-infecting viruses. Breastfeeding is linked to lower accumulation of human-infecting viruses, suggesting environmental modulation of the early virome for health.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Infant Gut Microbiome Research

Background:

  • Infant intestinal tracts are initially sterile but rapidly acquire high viral loads.
  • The origin and development of the early-life virome are not fully understood.
  • Bacterial prophages are known to be present in the gut microbiome.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the stepwise colonization of the infant gut virome.
  • To identify the sources of viral particles in infant stool.
  • To explore the impact of environmental factors, such as breastfeeding, on virome development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of viral particle concentrations in infant stool samples over time.
  • Investigation of prophage induction in gut bacteria.
  • Comparison of virome composition in breastfed versus formula-fed infants.

Main Results:

  • Infant gut viral colonization occurs in a stepwise manner.
  • An initial wave of viral particles originates from induced prophages in bacteria.
  • Lower levels of human-cell-infecting viruses were observed in breastfed infants.
  • Environmental factors significantly influence the early-life virome.

Conclusions:

  • The infant virome develops through sequential colonization events.
  • Bacterial prophages play a crucial role in the initial viral seeding of the infant gut.
  • Breastfeeding may modulate the accumulation of certain viruses, potentially impacting infant health.
  • Understanding virome formation offers pathways to optimize infant health through environmental modulation.

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