Abstract
Virus-host interactions have received much attention in virology. Virus-virus interactions can occur when >1 virus infects a host and can be deemed social when one virus affects the fitness of another virus, as in the well-known case of superinfection exclusion. Coinfection and subsequent social interactions can change viral pathogenicity, host range, and genetic composition, with implications for human health and viral evolution. I propose that this field can be advanced by bringing new perspectives into virology (e.g., social evolution theory) and uniting disciplinary divides within virology (classical, host-focused, and ecoevolutionary). The development of novel high-throughput tools that meld molecular and evolutionary approaches can harness viral diversity as an experimental asset to understand complex viral social interactions. A greater knowledge of virus-virus interactions will lead to the reformulation of basic concepts of virology and advances in applied virology, with new treatments that harness interactions between viruses to fight viral and bacterial infections.
Highlights
Virus-host interactions have received much attention in virology
The era of investigation of the microbiome and genomics in biology has made apparent that viral coinfections are exceedingly common [3,4,5,6], setting the stage for viral social interactions
A growing body of evidence shows that coinfections cause increased pathogenicity, host jumps, and genetic exchange, all with implications for human health and viral evolution
Summary
Virus-host interactions have received much attention in virology. Virusvirus interactions can occur when Ͼ1 virus infects a host and can be deemed social when one virus affects the fitness of another virus, as in the well-known case of superinfection exclusion. More than one virus can be present in the host (coinfection), providing the opportunity for viruses to interact. Four questions are the key to determining how virus-virus interactions affect the viral life cycle and to developing fundamental principles of viral social interactions: (i) What is the extent of coinfection and are there specific ecological correlates or molecular mechanisms that promote coinfection?; (ii) What is the frequency of evolved cooperation and cheating and how are they manifested mechanis-
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