Human anelloviruses: diverse, omnipresent and commensal members of the virome

ABSTRACT Anelloviruses are small, single stranded circular DNA viruses. They are extremely diverse and have not been associated with any disease so far. Strikingly, these small entities infect most probably the complete human population, and there are no convincing examples demonstrating viral clear...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEMS microbiology reviews 2020-05, Vol.44 (3), p.305-313
Main Authors: Kaczorowska, Joanna, van der Hoek, Lia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anelloviridae - classification
Anelloviridae - physiology
Circular DNA
Disease transmission
DNA viruses
Health aspects
Host Microbial Interactions
Human populations
Humans
Infection
Review
Viruses
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Summary:ABSTRACT Anelloviruses are small, single stranded circular DNA viruses. They are extremely diverse and have not been associated with any disease so far. Strikingly, these small entities infect most probably the complete human population, and there are no convincing examples demonstrating viral clearance from infected individuals. The main transmission could be via fecal-oral or airway route, as infections occur at an early age. However, due to the lack of an appropriate culture system, the virus–host interactions remain enigmatic. Anelloviruses are obviously mysterious viruses, and their impact on human life is not yet known, but, with no evidence of a disease association, a potential beneficial effect on human health should also be investigated. Human anelloviruses are understudied viruses that infect the vast majority of the human population; this review visualizes their diversity, discusses the possibility of an ancient origin of anelloviruses and commensal interaction between human anelloviruses and the host.
ISSN:0168-6445
1574-6976
DOI:10.1093/femsre/fuaa007