Virome Tunnel Vision

for people with short attention spans

Why do we focus so much on the virome when our understanding of the microbiome remains incomplete?

In this brief post, I want to share some thoughts on why the virome has become a major research focus. In many cases, this shift seems to be rooted in public anxieties: for decades, media and institutions have cultivated fear around viruses. By comparison, the existence and value of bacteria are more broadly accepted—there is no “no bacteria” cult, at least not that I have found. Yet, the growing focus on viruses, in my view, is unhelpful to all “sides”—to those convinced viruses explain everything, to skeptics, and to those like me who question mainstream virus narratives.

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, in Gut and Psychology Syndrome, highlights how the early excitement around probiotics—sparked by Ilia Metchnikoff’s isolation of “Bulgarian bacillus” in the early 20th century—was quickly cast aside once antibiotics arrived. While antibiotics have saved countless lives, neglecting probiotics in favor of a quick fix was both shortsighted and damaging. This attitude helps explain the poor state of current public health.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Professeur_Metchnikoff,_portrait_du_scientifique_dans_un_laboratoire_de_recherche.jpg

We clearly know more about bacteria than viruses: we have both antibiotics and probiotics, but we lack a parallel “proviral” category for viruses—only antivirals exist. This asymmetry suggests we moved too rapidly away from bacterial research once other targets appeared. Why did this happen?

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A short interruption to the post: At the end of this post is a video I made by editing work from Dr. Jay Couey’s¹ stream, Gigaohm Biological. I’m experimenting with different methods to create my videos due to a lack of coffee money—but with practice, they’ll improve!

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There are several reasons. Public health and industry interests often emphasize fear, especially of viruses, as a tool of control. The positive contributions of bacteria—crucial for digestion and overall health—tend to be downplayed. We can cultivate beneficial bacteria ourselves, sharing them through simple practices, rather than relying entirely on products and systems that turn everything, even health, into a commodity. This push toward viral-centric research seems to further sideline the practical, communal benefits of the bacterial microbiome.

stolen because low on coffee money…found through google search for Bulgarian bacillus

Some analysts also argue that the predominant focus on viruses, and consequently vaccines, grows out of the human genome project and related biotech ambitions. There is an ongoing effort to steer public perception—and acceptance of medical interventions—through the lens of genetics, at the expense of considering environmental or “terrain” factors.

1. https://stream.gigaohm.bio/w/24DxnDBUBe5ax4UchsjFhp?start=8m29s