As the owner of a human body, you’re carrying trillions of microbes with you everywhere you go. These microscopic organisms aren’t just hitching a ride; many of them perform essential chemical reactions that regulate everything from our digestion to our immune system to our moods.

The human gut is home to a dense and diverse microbial community that represents a vital component of human health, development, and disease states. Within those communities, phage-bacterial host interactions also shape the community and contribute to the constantly fluctuating landscape. However, phage-bacterial host interactions in the human gut have been largely underexplored.