A catalog of tens of thousands of viruses from human metagenomes reveals hidden associations with chronic diseases

Significance Mechanisms of many human chronic diseases involve abnormal action of the immune system and/or altered metabolism. The microbiome, an important regulator of metabolic and immune-related phenotypes, has been shown to be associated with or participate in the development of a variety of chronic diseases. Viruses of bacteria (i.e., “phages”) are ubiquitous and mysterious, and several studies have shown that phages exert great control...