https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...ll-as-harm-us/
This year millions of people around the world have radically changed their way of life to avoid contact with other people and, thus, the novel coronavirus. Despite social distancing, many have still gotten sick in part from other viral infections. That is because, as scientists are increasingly learning, many viruses are lurking quietly in the human body, hidden away in cells in the lungs, blood and nerves and inside the multitudes of microbes that colonize our gut.
Biologists estimate that 380 trillion viruses are living on and inside your body right now—10 times the number of bacteria. Some can cause illness, but many simply coexist with you. In late 2019, for example, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania discovered 19 different strains of redondovirus in the respiratory tract; a handful were associated with periodontal disease or lung disease, but others could possibly fight respiratory illnesses. Scientists' rapidly expanding knowledge makes it clear that we are not made up primarily of “human” cells that are occasionally invaded by microbes; our body is really a superorganism of cohabitating cells, bacteria, fungi and most numerous of all: viruses. The latest counts indicate that as much as half of all the biological matter in your body is not human.
A decade ago researchers were barely aware that the human virome existed. Today we see the vast virome as an integral part of the larger human microbiome, a crazy quilt of passive and active microscopic organisms that occupy almost every corner of our being. We have been mapping the virome for 10 years, and the deeper we investigate, the more the virome looks like a partnership that can influence our daily lives positively as well as negatively. Recent research shows we could even harness the virome to promote our own health. Investigators at the Rockefeller University, for example, have purified an enzyme from a virus that kills bacteria found in patients who are struggling against methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infection. The results are so encouraging that the Food and Drug Administration has designated the enzyme as a “breakthrough therapy,” and it is now in phase 3 clinical trials. Today we routinely speak about the “good” and “bad” bacteria in our lives. Viruses fall into the same categories. The challenge now is to figure out how to stop the bad ones and promote the good ones.
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INFECTED AT BIRTH
The human body is a rich environment for microbes, replete with proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Many viruses have figured out how to peacefully thrive in it without making us sick.
Viruses need to invade host cells to reproduce, and they are adept at exploiting all the options in our body. A dozen years ago inexpensive genome sequencing led us to discover plentiful viruses in the mouth and gut. By 2013 or so scientists located viruses on the skin and in the respiratory tract, blood and urine. Most recently, we have found them in even more surprising places. In September 2019, for example, Chandrabali Ghose and our colleagues and I published details about viruses that we discovered in the cerebrospinal fluid of adults who were undergoing testing for various conditions. The viruses belonged to several different families and were not associated with any known disease. We also found the same viruses in blood plasma, joint fluid and breast milk. Scientists knew that a few rare, infectious viruses, notably herpes, could sneak into cerebrospinal fluid, but finding random viruses that seemed to be mere bystanders was a surprise. The central nervous system, which is supposed to be a sterile environment, is colonized by a somewhat diverse viral community.
It appears that our viromes begin to accumulate when we are born. Studies reveal a high diversity of viruses in the infant gut shortly after birth, suggesting that they probably come from the babies' mothers, some ingested from breast milk. Some of these viruses decline in number as infants grow to weeks or months old; others enter their bodies from the air, water, food and other people. These viruses grow in number and diversity, infecting cells where they will persist for years. Infant viromes are unstable, whereas adult viromes are relatively stable. Anelloviruses, a family of 200 different species, are present in almost everyone as we get older. This mirrors what we observe for bacteria as well.
On a Personal Note: Grape Seed Extract contains anti virual, anti bacterial, and anti fungal properties, SO, with no colds or flu in 30-40 yrs, this is my Gold Cure.
And all you laughing at me and making fun, ummmmm
This year millions of people around the world have radically changed their way of life to avoid contact with other people and, thus, the novel coronavirus. Despite social distancing, many have still gotten sick in part from other viral infections. That is because, as scientists are increasingly learning, many viruses are lurking quietly in the human body, hidden away in cells in the lungs, blood and nerves and inside the multitudes of microbes that colonize our gut.
Biologists estimate that 380 trillion viruses are living on and inside your body right now—10 times the number of bacteria. Some can cause illness, but many simply coexist with you. In late 2019, for example, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania discovered 19 different strains of redondovirus in the respiratory tract; a handful were associated with periodontal disease or lung disease, but others could possibly fight respiratory illnesses. Scientists' rapidly expanding knowledge makes it clear that we are not made up primarily of “human” cells that are occasionally invaded by microbes; our body is really a superorganism of cohabitating cells, bacteria, fungi and most numerous of all: viruses. The latest counts indicate that as much as half of all the biological matter in your body is not human.
A decade ago researchers were barely aware that the human virome existed. Today we see the vast virome as an integral part of the larger human microbiome, a crazy quilt of passive and active microscopic organisms that occupy almost every corner of our being. We have been mapping the virome for 10 years, and the deeper we investigate, the more the virome looks like a partnership that can influence our daily lives positively as well as negatively. Recent research shows we could even harness the virome to promote our own health. Investigators at the Rockefeller University, for example, have purified an enzyme from a virus that kills bacteria found in patients who are struggling against methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infection. The results are so encouraging that the Food and Drug Administration has designated the enzyme as a “breakthrough therapy,” and it is now in phase 3 clinical trials. Today we routinely speak about the “good” and “bad” bacteria in our lives. Viruses fall into the same categories. The challenge now is to figure out how to stop the bad ones and promote the good ones.
ADVERTISEMENT
INFECTED AT BIRTH
The human body is a rich environment for microbes, replete with proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Many viruses have figured out how to peacefully thrive in it without making us sick.
Viruses need to invade host cells to reproduce, and they are adept at exploiting all the options in our body. A dozen years ago inexpensive genome sequencing led us to discover plentiful viruses in the mouth and gut. By 2013 or so scientists located viruses on the skin and in the respiratory tract, blood and urine. Most recently, we have found them in even more surprising places. In September 2019, for example, Chandrabali Ghose and our colleagues and I published details about viruses that we discovered in the cerebrospinal fluid of adults who were undergoing testing for various conditions. The viruses belonged to several different families and were not associated with any known disease. We also found the same viruses in blood plasma, joint fluid and breast milk. Scientists knew that a few rare, infectious viruses, notably herpes, could sneak into cerebrospinal fluid, but finding random viruses that seemed to be mere bystanders was a surprise. The central nervous system, which is supposed to be a sterile environment, is colonized by a somewhat diverse viral community.
It appears that our viromes begin to accumulate when we are born. Studies reveal a high diversity of viruses in the infant gut shortly after birth, suggesting that they probably come from the babies' mothers, some ingested from breast milk. Some of these viruses decline in number as infants grow to weeks or months old; others enter their bodies from the air, water, food and other people. These viruses grow in number and diversity, infecting cells where they will persist for years. Infant viromes are unstable, whereas adult viromes are relatively stable. Anelloviruses, a family of 200 different species, are present in almost everyone as we get older. This mirrors what we observe for bacteria as well.
On a Personal Note: Grape Seed Extract contains anti virual, anti bacterial, and anti fungal properties, SO, with no colds or flu in 30-40 yrs, this is my Gold Cure.
And all you laughing at me and making fun, ummmmm
via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/3CpR9iD
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