The human gut virome in health and disease.

This research program will use a recently optimized in-house procedure to investigate the viral part of the microbiome, the virome, in a semi-quantitative way in different biological samples using next generation sequencing technology. Within the research program are several projects, in which the following will be investigated: 1) the colonization dynamics of viruses in the gut of young children during the first year of life, and how this is influenced by diet, environmental factors, disease and use of antibiotics; 2) the possible role of viruses in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), after anti-inflammatory drug therapy or after a stool transplant and 3) the potential of viruses in bat feces to cause gastroenteritis in humans in Western Cameroon. These projects are carried out in collaboration with various partners within and outside the KU Leuven.