# Viral metagenomics reveals diverse viruses in the fecal samples of children with acute respiratory infection

## TL;DR

This study used viral metagenomics to explore the gut virome in children with acute respiratory infections, identifying several virus families and types.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the gut virome composition in children with acute respiratory infections using viral metagenomics.

## Key findings

- Podoviridae, Virgaviridae, Siphoviridae, Microviridae, and Myoviridae were the most abundant viral families.
- Human adenovirus, bocavirus, astrovirus, norovirus, and rhinovirus were detected in fecal samples.
- Phylogenetic trees were constructed to analyze the genetic relationships of the detected viruses.

## Abstract

Changes in the gut microbiome have been associated with the development of acute respiratory infection (ARI). However, due to methodological limitations, our knowledge of the gut virome in patients with ARIs remains limited.

In this study, fecal samples from children with ARI were investigated using viral metagenomics.

The fecal virome was analyzed, and several suspected disease-causing viruses were identified. The five viral families with the highest abundance of sequence reads were Podoviridae, Virgaviridae, Siphoviridae, Microviridae, and Myoviridae. Additionally, human adenovirus, human bocavirus, human astrovirus, norovirus, and human rhinovirus were detected. The genome sequences of these viruses were respectively described, and phylogenetic trees were constructed using the gene sequences of the viruses.

We characterized the composition of gut virome in children with acute respiratory infections. However, further research is required to elucidate the relationship between acute respiratory infection and gut viruses.