These sequences were learn more relatively short, with an average length of 102 bases. Oceanic environments contained distinct phage groups that

reflected the composition of the bacterial community in that niche, as well as some phages that were common to all or some environments. The diversity and richness of phage populations were different in the 4 environments described. These data suggest that phage communities in different ecologic niches will differ with respect to the environment in which they are found, in part reflecting the resident bacterial population and its functions. This work also suggests that the study of the viral populations in a variety of human body habitats will reveal an unappreciated diversity of common and specialized viruses. Early sequence-based analyses of this website the virome in samples from humans focused on bacteriophage populations. Bacteriophages influence their host bacteria and contribute genes that affect the structure and functions of microbial communities.35 and 36 Therefore, bacteriophages may be both important effectors and indicators

of human health and disease. In the first characterization of a bacteriophage community in a human stool sample, shotgun sequencing of 532 cloned viral DNA fragments from the stool of a healthy adult revealed that the majority of phage sequences were novel.37 The data suggested rich diversity of bacteriophage sequences, with approximately 2 to 5 times the number of bacteriophage genotypes as predicted bacterial genera in a stool community (∼1200–2000 genotypes predicted).37 In contrast, a simple but dynamic bacteriophage community (∼8 genotypes predicted) was observed by sequencing 477 viral DNA clones

from feces of a 1-week-old infant.38 These studies suggest that the diversity of bacteriophages in the gut expands as the bacterial community is established,38 but a larger group of adults and infants will need to be sampled and compared to validate this conclusion. In fact, more recent studies that include samples from more individuals and use deeper sequencing indicate that the richness of bacteriophage populations in stool communities varies greatly among adults. PIK3C2G In one study, Reyes et al39 found ∼10 to 984 genotypes per sample from 12 individuals. In another study, Minot et al40 found ∼19 to 785 genotypes per sample from 16 individuals. Thus, although important changes in the virome may occur as the infant gut matures, it is likely that the changes are more complex than simply increased diversity. The insights into the human virome (particularly the bacteriophage component) provided by studies by Reyes et al39 and Minot et al40 were made possible in large part because of newer sequencing technologies, especially the Roche 454 pyrosequencing platform. Consistent with the earlier studies, most viral sequences obtained were novel.