title: Transmission of viruses via our microbiomes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bacteria inhabiting the human body have important roles in a number of physiological processes and are known to be shared amongst genetically-related individuals. Far less is known about viruses inhabiting the human body, but their ecology suggests they may be shared between close contacts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here, we report the ecology of viruses in the guts and mouths of a cohort and demonstrate that substantial numbers of gut and oral viruses were shared amongst genetically unrelated, cohabitating individuals. Most of these viruses were bacteriophages, and each individual had distinct oral and gut viral ecology from their housemates despite the fact that some of their bacteriophages were shared. The distribution of bacteriophages over time within households indicated that they were frequently transmitted between the microbiomes of household contacts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because bacteriophages may shape human oral and gut bacterial ecology, their transmission to household contacts suggests they could have substantial roles in shaping the microbiota within a household.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ly
authors.affiliation: Human Longevity, Inc, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA.
authors.forename: Marcus B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Shira R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Abeles
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Tasha M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Santiago-Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Ivan C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Bioharmony Therapeutics Inc, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Chandrabali
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghose
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego, 92093, USA. dpride@ucsd.edu.|Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 92093, USA. dpride@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Pride
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D054892:Metagenome / Q000187:drug effects; D064307:Microbiota; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Antibiotic courses; Antibiotic perturbations; Antibiotics; Bacteriophage; Gut; Microbiome; Microbiota; Saliva; Virome; Virus; Virus transmission