| Study Abstract |
Viruses can impact microbiome structure and function through predation and genetic exchange, but little is known of cutaneous viral communities and their interactions with their hosts. To query virus-host interactions of the skin, we performed parallel metagenomic sequencing and an integrated analysis of DNA isolated from virus-like particles (VLPs) and total microbial communities. To assess spatial, interpersonal, and temporal variance, samples were collected from eight anatomical skin sites of 16 healthy individuals over two months. Skin viral communities were dominated by tailed bacteriophages--viruses replicating on human cells were comparatively rare. Similar to the skin whole metagenome, viral community composition and diversity was strongly associated with the microenvironment of the site sampled, and temporal variation within an individual was small compared to differences between individuals. Virome communities were enriched for genes indicative of a temperate phage replication style, indicating that many infections would be non-lethal to the host and provide an opportunity for gene transfer. CRISPR spacers identified in the bacterial DNA sequences provided a record of phage predation. Among these, some spacers targeted phage found at different body sites, suggesting that CRISPR spacer acquisition may provide a mechanism to explain spatial partitioning of skin phage communities. Our findings provide new insight into the skin virome, its interactions with the whole metagenome, and establish a foundation for understanding these dynamics in skin health and disease. |
