This doctoral dissertation aims to address the viral component of the human skin microbiome - the human skin virome. Viruses can infect all forms of life and thus can greatly impact or maintain microbial communities on the skin.
This doctoral dissertation aims to address the following: 1. The human skin virome diversity and taxonomic assessment of novel skin associated viruses; 2. Its ability to shape microbial populations on the skin through predation, commensalism, and horizontal gene transfer; 3. Skin virome ecology and stability over time; 4. Prevalence of environmentally contracted viruses and novel emerging zoonotic viral populations on the skin; 5. The individualization and stability of the human skin virome for Forensic applications. (Published abstract provided)