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Life sciences · Journal article
Cell Communication and Signaling · September 10, 2026
Raises a question worth testing. It does not answer one.
This is a narrative review proposing that the gut virobiome—including bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses—contributes to microbiota–gut–brain axis regulation and neuroimmune homeostasis through modulation of microbial structure, metabolite production, and systemic inflammation. The evidence is mechanistic and associative, drawn from experimental models and observational human studies, and does not establish clinical efficacy of proposed interventions.
Narrative review. Human gut microbiota and virome; applications proposed for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders (Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder)..
Bacteriophages influence microbial community structure via lytic and lysogenic cycles, horizontal gene transfer, and metabolic modulation, indirectly regulating production of neuroactive metabolites including short-chain fatty acids and tryptophan derivatives. Eukaryotic viruses (Epstein Barr virus, cytomegalovirus) are associated with systemic inflammation, molecular mimicry, and cytokine dysregulation, amplifying neuroimmune cascades implicated in Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, autism spectrum disorder, and major depressive disorder. Emerging experimental strategies—precision phage therapy, engineered probiotics incorporating CRISPR-based antiviral systems, and fecal virome transplantation—are proposed as potential approaches to modulate virome–microbiome interactions.
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
This review frames the virobiome as a potential therapeutic target but provides no evidence of clinical benefit from any intervention. Clinicians should regard proposed therapies (phage therapy, FVT, engineered probiotics) as experimental and not yet validated in humans.
A narrative review synthesizing mechanistic evidence from experimental and observational studies to propose a conceptual model; lacks primary outcome data, controlled comparisons, or clinical efficacy evidence.
As stated by the source record.
This review frames the virobiome as a potential therapeutic target but provides no evidence of clinical benefit from any intervention. Clinicians should regard proposed therapies (phage therapy, FVT, engineered probiotics) as experimental and not yet validated in humans.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
What is missing. This record has no reported figures. That is a gap in the analysis, not a judgement about the study.
The human gut-brain axis (GBA) is increasingly recognized as a complex bidirectional communication system integrating microbial, neural, endocrine, and immune networks that shape neurological health. While bacterial contributions to this dialogue have been extensively characterized, the viral component of the gut ecosystem, the virome, has emerged as an important component associated with host physiological regulation. This review synthesizes evidence suggesting that bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses may contribute to microbial and immune homeostasis and may influence signaling along the microbiota–gut–brain axis. In experimental studies, Bacteriophages have been shown to influence microbial community structure through lytic and lysogenic cycles, horizontal gene transfer, and metabolic modulation, indirectly regulating production of neuroactive metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and tryptophan derivatives which in turn have been linked to blood brain barrier integrity and modulate microglial activation. In observational human studies and experimental models, eukaryotic viruses including Epstein Barr virus and cytomegalovirus have been associated with systemic inflammation, molecular mimicry, and cytokine dysregulation, amplifying neuroimmune cascades implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). The convergence of viral-bacterial interactions highlights a transkingdom signaling network shaping neuroinflammatory tone and influencing disease susceptibility. Emerging experimental strategies, including precision phage therapy, engineered probiotics incorporating CRISPR-based antiviral systems, and fecal virome transplantation (FVT), are being explored as potential approaches to modulate virome–microbiome interactions. Integration of multiomics platforms with artificial intelligence–driven modeling will be critical for clarifying the temporal and mechanistic relationships between virome dynamics and neurological function. Collectively, these insights highlight the gut virobiome as a potentially important contributor to neuroimmune equilibrium and illuminate avenues for microbiome-informed diagnostics and interventions in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. This review therefore highlights the often underappreciated role of the gut virobiome and proposes an integrative conceptual model linking virome dynamics with microbiota–gut–brain axis signaling.
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