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Do humans / animals require viruses like we require bacteria to function?

MichaelApproved 7y ago
I was curious also, so I googled “beneficial virus examples” and this was the top result. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/05/friendly-viruses-protect-us-against-bacteria https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/05/friendly-viruses-pro... > Bacteria can be friends and foes—causing infection and disease, but also helping us slim down and even combating acne. Now, a new study reveals that viruses have a dual nature as well. For the first time, researchers have shown that they can help our bodies fight off invading microbes.
nicwilson 7y ago
Yes. Evolutionarily, the adaptive immune system itself is the result of viral integration. Though not a commensal relationship, priming the immune system for healthy function, principally for stopping cancer, see high incidence of leukaemia in children not exposed to pathogens (this might be pathogens more generally, it been a while since I took immunology but the immune system, treats cancer much more like viruses than it does bacteria (n.b. broad overgeneralisation)). See also the use of phage to attack bacterial infections.
wpasc 7y ago
Layman here, but I worked with a computational biologist for a semester in grad school on a microbiome project. There may be viruses and funghi operating in the same way beneficial (even critical) bacteria do. But, because research into and understanding of the microbiome is still comparatively in its infancy, we may be unaware. IIRC, my professor mentioned that the current ways we examine microbiome may favor the understanding of the components which are amenable to testing (meaning, we take a stool sample which shows use the bacteria living in the lower intestine well, but other components like other bacteria/viruses/funghi living further up the digestive tract we can't understand/sample well). I had an idea like what if you could have a time release pill that opened up, sampled, and closed various compartments at various times throughout the tract. idk if it's doable or if that idea is unoriginal, but I think it'd be informative to have.
- loceng 7y ago
  Neat idea to extract data at different points to give an extra layer of resolution - could give insights to function and processes we're currently unaware of.

I was curious also, so I googled “beneficial virus examples” and this was the top result. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/05/friendly-viruses-protect-us-against-bacteria https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/05/friendly-viruses-pro... > Bacteria can be friends and foes—causing infection and disease, but also helping us slim down and even combating acne. Now, a new study reveals that viruses have a dual nature as well. For the first time, researchers have shown that they can help our bodies fight off invading microbes.

nicwilson 7y ago

Yes. Evolutionarily, the adaptive immune system itself is the result of viral integration. Though not a commensal relationship, priming the immune system for healthy function, principally for stopping cancer, see high incidence of leukaemia in children not exposed to pathogens (this might be pathogens more generally, it been a while since I took immunology but the immune system, treats cancer much more like viruses than it does bacteria (n.b. broad overgeneralisation)). See also the use of phage to attack bacterial infections.

wpasc 7y ago

Layman here, but I worked with a computational biologist for a semester in grad school on a microbiome project. There may be viruses and funghi operating in the same way beneficial (even critical) bacteria do. But, because research into and understanding of the microbiome is still comparatively in its infancy, we may be unaware. IIRC, my professor mentioned that the current ways we examine microbiome may favor the understanding of the components which are amenable to testing (meaning, we take a stool sample which shows use the bacteria living in the lower intestine well, but other components like other bacteria/viruses/funghi living further up the digestive tract we can't understand/sample well). I had an idea like what if you could have a time release pill that opened up, sampled, and closed various compartments at various times throughout the tract. idk if it's doable or if that idea is unoriginal, but I think it'd be informative to have.

loceng 7y ago
Neat idea to extract data at different points to give an extra layer of resolution - could give insights to function and processes we're currently unaware of.