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Abstract
Viruses that cause chronic infection constitute a stable but little-recognized part
of our metagenome: our virome. Ongoing immune responses hold these chronic viruses
at bay while avoiding immunopathologic damage to persistently infected tissues. The
immunologic imprint generated by these responses to our virome defines the normal
immune system. The resulting dynamic but metastable equilibrium between the virome
and the host can be dangerous, benign, or even symbiotic. These concepts require that
we reformulate how we assign etiologies for diseases, especially those with a chronic
inflammatory component, as well as how we design and interpret genome-wide association
studies, and how we vaccinate to limit or control our virome.