Introduction:

The human virome refers to the collection of all viruses found in the human body. The viral diversity of the human body under non-pathological conditions has been underestimated. It is estimated that there are 100 times more viruses in the human body than eukaryotic cells.

Objective:

To carry out a systematic review of the human virome and its implications in health and disease.

Materials and Methods:

A review of scientific papers published between 2012 and 2017 in different online databases was made. A total of 26 bibliographic sources were used, including both original articles and reviews.

Development:

We present the existing knowledge to date about the viral communities found in different anatomical sites such as the digestive, respiratory, and genitourinary systems and the bloodstream; being the bacteriophages and Anellovirus the most frequently detected viruses. Although it is clear that the human virome plays a role both in maintaining health and in disease, these mechanisms have not yet been clarified.

Conclusions:

The human body has a high viral diversity even under non-pathological conditions. Although much is still unknown about the implications of these viruses on health and disease, advances in this field open new perspectives in the world of biomedicine.

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