Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39167701›Full record

ReviewGut microbes

Role of bacteriophages in shaping gut microbial community.

Md Rayhan Mahmud, Sanjida Khanam Tamanna, Sharmin Akter, Lincon Mazumder, Sumona Akter, Md Rakibul Hasan, Mrityunjoy Acharjee, Israt Zahan Esti, Md Saidul Islam, Md Maksudur Rahman Shihab and 4 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Gut microbes. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Revisiting the life cycle of temperate phages.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Remodelling of the gut virome after long-term fasting.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Phage Therapy in Gastrointestinal Diseases: Current Status and Challenges.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Phase variation inEngineering microbiology · 2026
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Md Rayhan MahmudDepartment of Production Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-7903-8014
Sanjida Khanam TamannaDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Sharmin AkterDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Lincon MazumderDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.ORCID 0000-0001-6463-9418
Sumona AkterDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Md Rakibul HasanDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Mrityunjoy AcharjeeDepartment of Microbiology, Stamford University Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Israt Zahan EstiDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Md Saidul IslamDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Md Maksudur Rahman ShihabDepartment of Oncological Sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Md NahianDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Rubaiya GulshanDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Sadia NaserDepartment of Microbiology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Anna Maria PirttiläEcology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-2455-6375

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Phages are the most diversified and dominant members of the gut virobiota. They play a crucial role in shaping the structure and function of the gut microbial community and consequently the health of humans and animals. Phages are found mainly in the mucus, from where they can translocate to the intestinal organs and act as a modulator of gut microbiota. Understanding the vital role of phages in regulating the composition of intestinal microbiota and influencing human and animal health is an emerging area of research. The relevance of phages in the gut ecosystem is supported by substantial evidence, but the importance of phages in shaping the gut microbiota remains unclear. Although information regarding general phage ecology and development has accumulated, detailed knowledge on phage-gut microbe and phage-human interactions is lacking, and the information on the effects of phage therapy in humans remains ambiguous. In this review, we systematically assess the existing data on the structure and ecology of phages in the human and animal gut environments, their development, possible interaction, and subsequent impact on the gut ecosystem dynamics. We discuss the potential mechanisms of prophage activation and the subsequent modulation of gut bacteria. We also review the link between phages and the immune system to collect evidence on the effect of phages on shaping the gut microbial composition. Our review will improve understanding on the influence of phages in regulating the gut microbiota and the immune system and facilitate the development of phage-based therapies for maintaining a healthy and balanced gut microbiota.

Indexed as

BacteriaBacteriophagesGastrointestinal MicrobiomeAnimalsHumansPhage TherapyProphagesantimicrobialsBacteriophagegut microbiota modulationgut virobiotamodulation of gut metabolitesphage and human immune systemphage therapyprophage activation

Identifiers

PMID39167701
PMCPMC11340752

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.