The virome in allergy and asthma: A nascent, ineffable player

Abstract

Allergic diseases can be affected by virus-host interactions and are increasingly linked with the tissue-specific microbiome. High-throughput metagenomic sequencing has offered the opportunity to study the presence of viruses as an ecologic system, namely, the virome. Even though virome studies are technically challenging conceptually and analytically, they are already producing novel data expanding our understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms related to chronic inflammation and allergy. The importance of interspecies and intraspecies interactions is becoming apparent, as they can significantly, directly or indirectly, affect the host's response and antigenic state. Here, we emphasize the challenges and potential insights related to study of the virome in the context of allergy and asthma. We review the limited number of studies that have investigated the virome in these conditions, underlining the need for prospective, repeated sampling designs to unravel the virome's impact on disease development and its interplay with microbiota and immunity. The potential therapeutic use of bacteriophages, which are highly complex components of the virome, is discussed. There is clearly a need for further in-depth investigation of the virome as a system in allergic diseases.

Keywords: Virome; allergy; asthma.