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-Study on the Diversity of Fresh Vegetable Viromes and Their Transition to the Human Digestive System-

Professor Park Eun-jin (corresponding author) of the Department of Food Biotechnology at JNU and her research team have announced the results of a study exploring the diverse viral microbiomes present on the surfaces of fresh vegetables. Their findings reveal that viruses can be transferred to the human gut microbiome through the consumption of fresh vegetables.

Titled “Characterization of the Phyllosphere Virome of Fresh Veggies and Potential Transfer to the Human Gut (2025)”, the study was published online on April 10 in Nature Communications (2023 Impact Factor: 14.7, JCR Top 5.9%).

This collaborative research, conducted with Professor Kim Min-soo (co-corresponding author) and Professor Cho Jin-ah (co-author) of Chungnam National University, found that genetically diverse viruses are prevalent in the phyllosphere—the aerial surfaces—of fresh vegetables. Remarkably, over 90% of the detected viruses are newly identified and had not been previously reported.

The study further revealed that most of these viruses are bacteriophages, which infect microorganisms. These bacteriophages were detected in the human gut microbiome after the continued consumption of fresh vegetables, indicating their transfer through the digestive system.

The research team suggested a possible connection between this viral transfer and microbiome imbalances associated with metabolic and immune disorders. The findings are expected to serve as a scientific foundation for the concept of the “food-gut axis”, which explores the relationship between food and gut health via the microbiome.