Editorial for the Special Issue: The Role of the Virome in Health and Disease

Recurrent Mpox: divergent virulent clades and the urgent need for strategic measures including novel vaccine development to sustain global health security

In August 2024, the Africa CDC and WHO declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, respectively, following a devastating global outbreak driven by newly emerged virulent clades I (Ia, IIb) and II (IIa, IIb) of the Mpox virus. These new clades are genetically and phylogenetically distinct from previously known strains, with the re-emerging variants originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and rapidly spreading to neighbouring regions and across the globe. The ongoing epidemic is characterized by alarming morbidity and mortality, and the newly identified clades are linked to significant changes in the epidemiology of the disease, resulting in worse clinical outcomes. Sexual transmission has emerged as a key factor in sustaining the spread of the virus, particularly among sexually active young adults, facilitating the virus's spread beyond Africa. To combat the growing threat, there is an urgent need for the development of a polyvalent vaccine that incorporates the diverse circulating clades as part of other mitigation measures.. Widespread vaccination with such a vaccine could help achieve herd immunity and complement other infection prevention and control strategies to effectively mitigate the impact of this global health crisis.

Targeting the gut microbiota for cancer therapy

Growing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota modulates the efficacy and toxicity of cancer therapy, most notably immunotherapy and its immune-related adverse effects. The poor response to immunotherapy in patients treated with antibiotics supports this influential role of the microbiota. Until recently, results pertaining to the identification of the microbial species responsible for these effects were incongruent, and relatively few studies analysed the underlying mechanisms. A better understanding of the taxonomy of the species involved and of the mechanisms of action has since been achieved. Defined bacterial species have been shown to promote an improved response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors by producing different products or metabolites. However, a suppressive effect of Gram-negative bacteria may be dominant in some unresponsive patients. Machine learning approaches trained on the microbiota composition of patients can predict the ability of patients to respond to immunotherapy with some accuracy. Thus, interest in modulating the microbiota composition to improve patient responsiveness to therapy has been mounting. Clinical proof-of-concept studies have demonstrated that faecal microbiota transplantation or dietary interventions might be utilized clinically to improve the success rate of immunotherapy in patients with cancer. Here, we review recent advances and discuss emerging strategies for microbiota-based cancer therapies.