Role of Microbiota in Viral Infections and Pathological Progression

Taketoshi Mizutani; Aya Ishizaka; Michiko Koga; Takeya Tsutsumi; Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi

doi:10.3390/v14050950

Role of Microbiota in Viral Infections and Pathological Progression

Viruses. 2022 May 1;14(5):950. doi: 10.3390/v14050950.

Authors

Taketoshi Mizutani^{1

2}, Aya Ishizaka², Michiko Koga², Takeya Tsutsumi², Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8562, Japan.
² Division of Infectious Diseases, Advanced Clinical Research Center, the Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases and Applied Immunology, IMSUT Hospital of Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan.

Abstract

Viral infections are influenced by various microorganisms in the environment surrounding the target tissue, and the correlation between the type and balance of commensal microbiota is the key to establishment of the infection and pathogenicity. Some commensal microorganisms are known to resist or promote viral infection, while others are involved in pathogenicity. It is also becoming evident that the profile of the commensal microbiota under normal conditions influences the progression of viral diseases. Thus, to understand the pathogenesis underlying viral infections, it is important to elucidate the interactions among viruses, target tissues, and the surrounding environment, including the commensal microbiota, which should have different relationships with each virus. In this review, we outline the role of microorganisms in viral infections. Particularly, we focus on gaining an in-depth understanding of the correlations among viral infections, target tissues, and the surrounding environment, including the commensal microbiota and the gut virome, and discussing the impact of changes in the microbiota (dysbiosis) on the pathological progression of viral infections.

Keywords: COVID-19; HIV; HPV; SARS-CoV-2; dysbiosis; hepatitis virus; infectious disease; microbiome; microbiota; virome.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Dysbiosis
Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
Humans
Microbiota*
Virus Diseases*
Viruses*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (grant numbers 21K11592 and 21K07314), the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) (grant numbers 20fk0108472h001, 21wm0325004h0002 and 21HB2005), JST (Moonshot R&D—MILLENNIA Program) (grant number JPMJMS2025), and The University of Tokyo Ushioda Foundation.