{"title":"Fusobacterium nucleatum: ecology, pathogenesis and clinical implications.","authors":"Shan-Shan Jiang,Ying-Xuan Chen,Jing-Yuan Fang","doi":"10.1038/s41579-025-01237-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Fusobacterium nucleatum, a commensal microorganism and opportunistic pathogen (a pathobiont), has emerged as a key player in both local and systemic diseases. In humans, F. nucleatum is found in the oral microbiota, but under certain conditions, it can spread to other ecological niches within the body, such as the gut microbiota. Importantly, F. nucleatum has a pathogenic role in periodontal disease, inflammatory bowel disease and various cancers, particularly colorectal cancer. F. nucleatum can promote oncogenesis via several mechanisms, including virulence factors, chronic inflammation, immune evasion and direct interactions with tumour cells. The strong link between this pathobiont microorganism and cancer has led to the emergence of several potential diagnostic strategies and possible therapeutic interventions. Given its increasing association with cancer progression and poor clinical outcomes, understanding the role of F. nucleatum in disease treatment offers critical insights for future research and clinical applications. This Review underscores the importance of F. nucleatum in microbiology, oncology and translational medicine.","PeriodicalId":18838,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Microbiology","volume":"223 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":103.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Reviews Microbiology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-025-01237-z","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Fusobacterium nucleatum, a commensal microorganism and opportunistic pathogen (a pathobiont), has emerged as a key player in both local and systemic diseases. In humans, F. nucleatum is found in the oral microbiota, but under certain conditions, it can spread to other ecological niches within the body, such as the gut microbiota. Importantly, F. nucleatum has a pathogenic role in periodontal disease, inflammatory bowel disease and various cancers, particularly colorectal cancer. F. nucleatum can promote oncogenesis via several mechanisms, including virulence factors, chronic inflammation, immune evasion and direct interactions with tumour cells. The strong link between this pathobiont microorganism and cancer has led to the emergence of several potential diagnostic strategies and possible therapeutic interventions. Given its increasing association with cancer progression and poor clinical outcomes, understanding the role of F. nucleatum in disease treatment offers critical insights for future research and clinical applications. This Review underscores the importance of F. nucleatum in microbiology, oncology and translational medicine.
期刊介绍:
At Nature Reviews Microbiology, our goal is to become the leading source of reviews and commentaries for the scientific community we cater to. We are dedicated to publishing articles that are not only authoritative but also easily accessible, supplementing them with clear and concise figures, tables, and other visual aids. Our objective is to offer an unparalleled service to authors, referees, and readers, and we continuously strive to maximize the usefulness and impact of each article we publish. With a focus on Reviews, Perspectives, and Comments spanning the entire field of microbiology, our wide scope ensures that the work we feature reaches the widest possible audience.