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Making room for gut prophages in human health

Luisa De Sordi1

  • 1Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Centre de Recherche St Antoine, 75012 Paris, France.

Cell Host & Microbe
|May 13, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Prophages, viruses integrated into bacterial DNA, are common in the human gut. Understanding prophage roles is crucial for deciphering gut microbiome functions in health and disease.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Human Gut Microbiome Research

Background:

  • Prophages are latent viral infections within bacterial genomes.
  • They are widespread in the human gut microbiome.
  • Their functional significance in microbial communities is often underestimated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the importance of prophages in the human gut.
  • To emphasize their role in regulating bacterial populations and host interactions.
  • To advocate for the integration of prophage biology into microbiome research.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on prophage biology and gut microbiome.
  • Analysis of emerging evidence on prophage functions.
  • Conceptual framework for integrating prophage studies.

Main Results:

  • Prophages possess significant functional potential within the gut.
  • They influence bacterial fitness and community dynamics.
  • Prophages mediate microbe-host interactions.

Conclusions:

  • Integrating prophage biology is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the gut microbiome.
  • This integration is key to elucidating microbiota-driven health and disease mechanisms.
  • Further research into prophage functions will advance microbiome science.

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