Nova študija prinaša več vpogleda v pogoste viruse, ki se skrivajo v celicah zdravih posameznikov, ter v količino virusov, ki jih ljudje običajno prenašajo. Ekipa raziskovalcev s Harvard Medical School je analizirala podatke iz krvnih in vzorcev sline več kot 917.000 ljudi iz treh medicinskih baz podatkov. Preučevali so vzorce količine virusnega DNK v telesu, ko okužbe niso povzročale bolezni, piše Science Alert.
Kako geni vplivajo na nadzor nad virusi
Z analizo genskih fragmentov so izračunali tako imenovano virusno breme, ki kaže, kateri virusi so prisotni in kako uspešno se imunski sistem bori proti njim. Raziskovalci so nato povezali raven virusnega bremena z določenimi deli človeškega DNK ter našli povezave med genskimi značilnostmi, starostjo, spolom in sposobnostjo telesa, da zavira viruse.
»Prihajamo do točke, ko lahko s pomočjo človeških genov odgovarjamo na temeljna vprašanja o boleznih, ki jih povzročajo virusi,« pravi genetik Nolan Kamitaki.
Podatki so razkrili 82 specifičnih lokusov v človeškem genomu, povezanih z virusnim bremenom.
Vpliv starosti, spola in letnih časov
Pojavili so se tudi drugi vzorci za različne viruse. Virus Epstein-Barr, (EBV), ki povzroča mononukleozo, je na primer postal pogostejši s starostjo, medtem ko se je HHV-7, ki povzroča herpes, zmanjševal v srednjih letih. Virusno breme EBV je bilo višje pozimi in nižje poleti, medtem ko so bili drugi virusi bolj stabilni.
Raziskovalci so dodatno raziskali povezave med virusi in določenimi boleznimi. Ugotovili so, da je visoko virusno breme EBV neposreden dejavnik tveganja razvoja krvnega raka kasneje v življenju. Rezultati nakazujejo, da bi protivirusna zdravila lahko zmanjšala tveganje, vendar bi bilo to treba še dodatno raziskati.
Zakaj EBV ni neposredno povezan z multiplo sklerozo
Po drugi strani enake povezave niso našli med EBV in multiplo sklerozo, čeprav je EBV znan sprožilec te bolezni. To je zanimiva ugotovitev, saj kaže, da je povezava med multiplo sklerozo in EBV odvisna predvsem od odziva imunskega sistema, ne pa od količine virusa v telesu.
»Ta ugotovitev kaže, zakaj so raziskave virusov v velikih genskih bazah podatkov tako pomembne,« pravi Kamitaki.
Vloga spola in življenjskega sloga
Z virusnim bremenom so bili povezani tudi negenski dejavniki, kot so starost, spol in kajenje. Večina virusov je bila pogostejša pri moških kot pri ženskah. Raziskovalci lahko na podlagi teh ugotovitev nadaljujejo raziskave o tem, zakaj se tveganje bolezni razlikuje med posamezniki – tudi če nosijo enake viruse.
Kako razširjeni so ti virusi v populaciji
Ti virusi so bolj razširjeni, kot si morda mislite. Trije izmed preučevanih virusov, imenovani anelovirusi, so prisotni pri 80–90 odstotkih populacije, vendar njihov vpliv na zdravje še ni povsem jasen.
Pomembno je poudariti, da so raziskovalci zaradi uporabljenih genomskih podatkov preučevali le viruse, ki se skrivajo v DNK celic. Nadaljnje raziskave bi lahko vključevale tudi RNK virusov, kot so koronavirusi, ki delujejo drugače.
Na naše zdravje tako ne vplivajo le trenutne okužbe. Tudi starodavni virusi, ki so se pri razvoju človeka vgradili v naš genom in se ne morejo več razmnoževati, lahko še vedno vplivajo na naše telo na nenavadne načine.
»Presenetljivo je, koliko nas lahko DNK nauči o dinamičnih bioloških procesih in o tem, kako naše navade, geni in biologija oblikujejo te procese,« pa pravi genetik Steven McCarroll, ki je sodeloval v študiji, originalno objavljeni v strokovni reviji Nature.
![EXCLUSIVE: Story from Jam Press (Sleep Liver Problems)Pictured: A social media user reacts to Dr Greg Mongeon's health warning sign.VIDEO: Doctor warns anyone who can't sleep between 2am and 4am may have THIS problemA doctor has gone viral after warning anyone who regularly fails to sleep between 2am and 4am that they may have liver problems – because their "pathways are jammed'.Dr Greg Mongeon, who has 248,000 followers, cautioned that wakefulness at this time could be a symptom of underlying health issues.He explained that each organ has an "alert time" – and usually finding yourself awake during these particular hours of the night might be a big red flag.His revelation left viewers stunned with the video racking up over 278,000 views."Restless sleep is a common symptom people present with," the 48-year-old from Lakeville, Minnesota in the US told What's The Jam."[That might be] waking up early and not being able to fall asleep or not falling asleep easily."In traditional Chinese medicine they talk about each organ having an 'awake' or 'alert' time."And the liver is 2am to 4am."So if you wake up at that time consistently, it's a sign that your body is saying, 'help'."It may be a sign of poor drainage systems, especially the liver and gut."These poor drainage systems are easily tested through laboratory markers."But normal ranges do not indicate optimal [organ] function."The clip, posted three weeks ago, has gone viral with the doctor's fans shocked by the news – with many admitting this exact thing happens to them.Others asked for advice.Angelica said: "I do wake up between that time. But just to pee. Then I fall asleep without a problem. Is that still a problem?"Doctor Greg replied to the question, saying: "If it makes sense to you that you drank a lot of fluid prior to bed, but in many cases, it can indicate your stress hormones are turning on a little too early which is often tied to blood sugar and liver signaling."Athanasia added:.11 Feb 2026Pictured: Story from Jam Press (Sleep Liver Problems)Pictured: Stock image of a woman in bed.VIDEO: Doctor warns anyone who can't sleep between 2am and 4am may have THIS problemA doctor has gone viral after warning anyone who regularly fails to sleep between 2am and 4am that they may have liver problems – because their "pathways are jammed'.Dr Greg Mongeon, who has 248,000 followers, cautioned that wakefulness at this time could be a symptom of underlying health issues.He explained that each organ has an "alert time" – and usually finding yourself awake during these particular hours of the night might be a big red flag.His revelation left viewers stunned with the video racking up over 278,000 views."Restless sleep is a common symptom people present with," the 48-year-old from Lakeville, Minnesota in the US told What's The Jam."[That might be] waking up early and not being able to fall asleep or not falling asleep easily."In traditional Chinese medicine they talk about each orga.,Image: 1074036630, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO Australia, Germany, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Unknown Country, Model Release: no](/media/2026/03/31/819003/Wide-profimedia-1074036630-400.webp?1774967329)
