Viruses Play A Role In IBD, Not Just Bacteria

New findings suggest that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may have a higher amount of viruses in their digestive system than counterparts who do not suffer from the illness.

Research conducted by health officials at Washington University in St. Louis found the first link to the disease, with changes in the virome, as opposed to just bacteria, alone. The findings could play an unexpected role in the future treatment of IBD, including obesity and even diabetes.

"This is the tip of the iceberg," said lead study author Herbert W. Virgin, in a news release. "A significant portion of the viral DNA we identified in these patients is unfamiliar to us - it comes from newly identified viruses we don't know much about. We have a great deal of groundwork to do, including sequencing the genetic material of these viruses and learning how they interact with the gut and gut bacteria, before we can determine if changes in the virome cause these conditions or result from them."

For the study, researchers studied three groups of patients with Crohn's disase or ulcerative colitis living in Chicago, Boston and the United Kingdom. They then compared viral DNA taken from fecal samples of the participants with those extracted from healthy patients in the same areas.

"Much of the increased viral diversity in participants with inflammatory bowel diseases was in the form of bacteriophages, which are viruses that infect bacteria and can incorporate themselves into the bacteria's genetic material," Virgin added.

As the team continues working on an animal model of inflammatory bowel diseases in the hopes of further determining the cause of the illness, they hope that with future studies, it could lead to better treatments for the illness.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Cell.

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