Humans harbour a large quantity of microbes in the intestinal tract and have evolved symbiotic relationships with many of them. However, several specific bacterial pathobionts are associated with liver disease pathogenesis. Although bacteriophages (phages) and eukaryotic viruses (collectively known as “the virome”) outnumber bacteria and fungi in the intestine, little is known about the intestinal virome in patients with liver disease. As natural predators of bacteria, phages can precisely edit the bacterial microbiota. Hence, there is interest in using them to target bacterial pathobionts in several diseases, including those of the liver. Herein, we will summarise changes in the faecal virome associated with fatty liver diseases and cirrhosis, and describe the therapeutic potential of phages and potential challenges to their clinical application.

人类肠道中存在大量微生物，并与其中许多微生物进化出了共生关系。然而，几种特定的细菌病原体与肝病发病机制有关。尽管肠道中噬菌体（噬菌体）和真核病毒（统称为“病毒组”）的数量超过细菌和真菌，但我们对肝病患者的肠道病毒组知之甚少。作为细菌的天然捕食者，噬菌体可以精确编辑细菌微生物群。因此，人们有兴趣使用它们来针对多种疾病（包括肝脏疾病）中的细菌病原体。在此，我们将总结与脂肪肝疾病和肝硬化相关的粪便病毒组的变化，并描述噬菌体的治疗潜力及其临床应用的潜在挑战。