Phages (bacteriophages), viruses that infect bacteria, are the most abundant genetic entities in our environment. A study published in Nature Microbiology challenges the common preconception that they only infect a limited number of hosts: a significant proportion of phages can interact with several bacterial species (5 to 10%).
Phages, or bacteriophages, are viruses that infect bacteria and play a central role in the dynamics, evolution and adaptation of microbial communities. However, most studies analyze their genomes without identifying their bacterial hosts. MetaHiC technology is a game-changer: by capturing the physical interactions between DNA molecules within a sample, it enables phages, their hosts and their interactions to be studied simultaneously, directly in their environment, without the need for laboratory isolation.
The scientists analyzed 111 datasets from five different environments. They reconstructed 4,975 microbial genomes (archaea and bacteria) and 6,572 viral genomes, then mapped a network of interactions linking half the genomes to their hosts.
The outcome revealed that a significant proportion of these phages proved capable of interacting with several species, including genetically distant hosts, in environments as diverse as the ocean water column and human digestive tract.
These findings suggest that phages exert transversal selective pressures and can act as vectors for genetic exchange between distant bacterial lineages. They could also impact phage therapies used to treat bacterial infections and pave the way for novel research on the evolutionary mechanisms and ecological importance of phages.
This work was carried out by the Genome Genetics Laboratory (CNRS/Institut Pasteur).
Source:
Phages with a broad host range are common across ecosystems.
Nat Microbiol. 2025 Oct;10(10):2537-2549. doi: 10.1038/s41564-025-02108-2.
Epub 2025 Sep 19. PMID: 40973790.
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