A highly abundant bacteriophage discovered in the unknown sequences of human faecal metagenomes

Metagenomics, or sequencing of the genetic material from a complete microbial community, is a promising tool to discover novel microbes and viruses. Viral metagenomes typically contain many unknown sequences. Here we describe the discovery of a previously unidentified bacteriophage present in the majority of published human faecal metagenomes, which we refer to as crAssphage. Its ~97 kbp genome is six times more abundant in publicly available metagenomes than all other known phages together; it comprises up to 90% and 22% of all reads in virus-like particle (VLP)-derived metagenomes and total community metagenomes, respectively; and it totals 1.68% of all human faecal metagenomic sequencing reads in the public…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: 1046413, 1305112, 1330800, 0850356, MCB-1330800
• CD
  Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
• NO
  Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

  Awards: FES0908, 016.111.075, 050-060-452
• VC
  Virgo Consortium
• NI
  National Institutes of Health
• DO
  Division of Information and Intelligent Systems