A new study published in Cell Reports shows that bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacteria, can pass through the intestinal lining under normal physiological conditions. Researchers tested three different phages and found that all were able to move across gut epithelial cells without inflammation or damage to the barrier.
This finding challenges the long standing belief that phages only enter the body when the gut barrier is compromised, such as during inflammatory bowel disease. Instead, the results suggest that phage movement from the gut into the body may be a natural process, opening new perspectives on how phages interact with the immune system and influence human health.
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