Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology最新文献

{"title":"The therapeutic potential of epimedium and its bioactive flavonoids in hepatitis and cirrhosis: an integrative review.","authors":"Jianyi Zhang, Weichi Jiang, Huigang Feng, Rui Yan, Yi Huang, Qiwei Liang, Ningyi Zhang, Haoming Huang, Yujin Wu, Chunhua Fan, Yilin Yang, Yuan Liao, Xiliang Huang, Jiawei Fan, Ping Zeng, Jinming Li, Hanwei Chen","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1799319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1799319","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hepatitis and cirrhosis constitute a substantial global health burden, with therapeutic options remaining largely confined to antiviral agents and liver transplantation. Traditional Chinese medicine has long employed Epimedium species (Berberidaceae) for hepatoprotective indications, with contemporary investigations identifying prenylated flavonoids-principally icariin and its active metabolite icaritin-as the principal bioactive constituents. This integrative review systematically examined 33 high-impact studies published up to March 2026, selected based on a comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and Google Scholar. Included investigations were critically evaluated for mechanistic sophistication, translational validity, methodological rigor, and pharmacokinetic relevance. Preclinical evidence, derived predominantly from toxin-induced (e.g., CCl₄, TAA), metabolic, and acute injury models, demonstrates that icaritin exerts consistent anti-fibrotic activity through dual inhibition of HIF-1α and TGF-β/Smad signaling, selective induction of hepatic stellate cell apoptosis, and suppression of angiogenesis via VEGF/VEGFR2 blockade. Immunomodulatory properties observed in preclinical tumor models and early-phase clinical trials in advanced HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma, encompass reduction of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (-43%), regulatory T cells (-31%), and enhancement of CD8+ T-cell function (+2.8-fold) providing proof-of-concept for immune modulation in an HBV-endemic population. Clinical data in liver disease remain limited to small, non-randomized studies (primarily in HCC), with no phase III trials specifically targeting fibrosis or cirrhosis endpoints. Critical evidence gaps-including the absence of validation in viral hepatitis models, undefined pharmacokinetics in cirrhosis, and lack of drug-drug interaction data with antivirals-currently preclude routine clinical application in hepatitis and cirrhosis. Safety analyses reveal dose-dependent hepatotoxicity at concentrations exceeding 50 μM icaritin and substantial inter-individual variability in gut microbiota-mediated bioactivation. Epimedium flavonoids exhibit multi-target therapeutic potential that bridges traditional botanical medicine and modern pharmacology, though critical translational gaps persist. Future investigations must prioritize phase III fibrosis trials, pharmacokinetic optimization in cirrhotic populations, and comprehensive drug-drug interaction studies with direct-acting antivirals to establish evidence-based clinical protocols.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1799319"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143968/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147835985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Application of few-shot learning and transfer learning based on YOLOv6 in the recognition of bacteria in sputum M-ROSE.","authors":"Yan Huang, Long Cao, Hongchen Xue, Meng Zhang, Yuanjun Liu, Xiaoping Huang, An Liu","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1791986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1791986","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Rapid pathogen identification is essential for guiding timely and appropriate antimicrobial therapy in severe pulmonary infections. Microbiological rapid on-site evaluation (M-ROSE) can provide preliminary etiological information at the bedside, but its interpretation is labor intensive and highly dependent on experienced clinicians or microbiologists. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a deep learning framework for bacterial identification in sputum M-ROSE smears under limited annotated data conditions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 161 Gram-stained sputum M-ROSE images containing Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were collected using a digital scanner. Thirty annotated images were used to construct Dataset N, which was divided into a training set and a validation set at a ratio of 8:2. A deep learning model based on the YOLOv6 architecture was developed using transfer learning and few-shot learning. In addition to conventional data augmentation, two customized strategies-rotation cutting and image fusion-were introduced to enhance the detection of extremely small bacterial targets. The remaining 131 images were used as an independent testing set. Model performance was evaluated using recall, precision, F1 score, mean average precision (mAP), accuracy, and diagnostic time.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The best-performing model achieved 89.31% recall, 84.23% precision, an F1 score of 0.8670, and an mAP of 0.817 on the validation set. On the independent test set, the model achieved 93.89% accuracy. In addition, the model required substantially less time for image interpretation than the participating clinicians.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The proposed YOLOv6-based framework showed good performance for bacterial identification in sputum M-ROSE smears under limited annotated data conditions. These findings support the feasibility of applying data-efficient deep learning strategies to real-world clinical microbiological images and suggest potential utility in rapid microbiological diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1791986"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143893/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147836228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alterations of the skin microbiome in HIV infection with pruritus.","authors":"Xue Ding, Leilei Fan, Xiuxia Ma, Jiahe Li, Pengyu Qian, Nao Qiu, Liran Xu, Jingyu Yue","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1749838","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1749838","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Pruritus is one of the main common symptoms of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Skin changes caused by scratching, or the absence of skin findings despite ongoing pruritus, impact patients' quality of life. With cutaneous HIV infection, pruritus is continuous, though it is unknown whether HIV infection affects the skin microbiota to cause pruritus.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The skin microbiomes and plasma of HIV infection with pruritus, HIV and healthy were investigated in this study. Swabs were taken from four body sites and the composition of the microbiome at those sites was assessed using 16S rRNA amplification. Cytokines(interleukins 10 and 6) in plasma were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The skin microbiome in the pruritus group was characterized by a significant depletion of protective commensals, specifically <i>Cutibacterium</i> and the <i>Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia</i>. Conversely, opportunistic microbiome, including <i>Prevotella</i> and <i>Leptotrichia</i>, were markedly enriched and identified as key microbial signatures by Random Forest analysis. Correlation analysis revealed that the loss of protective commensals was positively associated with anti-inflammatory IL-10 levels, while the expansion of opportunistic pathogens was linked to elevated pro-inflammatory IL-6, indicating a microbial-driven immune imbalance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results reveal that skin microbiota collapse and the loss of inherent anti-inflammatory defenses are pivotal features of HIV infection with pruritus.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1749838"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13144027/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147836225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Establishment of tentative epidemiological cutoff values of faropenem against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae.","authors":"Shi Wu, Yang Yang, Dandan Yin, Feng Xue, Yun Li, Wei Kang, Qiwen Yang, Jie Lin, Yunsong Yu, Demei Zhu, Yan Guo, Fupin Hu","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1757254","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1757254","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to establish tentative epidemiological cutoff values (TECOFFs) for faropenem against <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i>, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i>, and <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> based on minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) distributions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 2,032 bacterial isolates were collected from Peking University First Hospital, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, and Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital affiliated with Zhejiang University School of Medicine between 2019 and 2021. The susceptibility of these bacteria to faropenem was determined using the broth microdilution and disk diffusion methods in the clinical microbiology laboratories of these four hospitals. To establish wild-type TECOFFs for faropenem, isolates susceptible to ertapenem for <i>E. coli</i> and <i>K. pneumoniae</i>, those susceptible to oxacillin for <i>S. aureus</i>, and those with unscreened susceptibility for <i>H. influenzae</i> and <i>S. pneumoniae</i> were regarded as wild-type strains.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The MIC TECOFF for faropenem against <i>E. coli</i> was determined to be 2 mg/L, with MIC ≤2 mg/L indicating wild-type strains and MIC ≥4 mg/L indicating non-wild-type strains. The corresponding inhibition zone diameter TECOFF for <i>E. coli</i> was 19 mm, where an inhibition zone diameter ≤18 mm indicates non-wild-type strains and ≥19 mm indicates wild-type strains. For <i>K. pneumoniae</i>, the MIC TECOFF was also 2 mg/L, with similar cutoffs established for the inhibition zones. The MIC TECOFF for faropenem against <i>S. aureus</i> was 0.25 mg/L, for <i>H. influenzae</i> was 1 mg/L, and for <i>S. pneumoniae</i> was 2 mg/L. The corresponding inhibition zone diameter ECOFF for faropenem against <i>S. aureus</i> was 31 mm, for <i>H. influenzae</i> was 14 mm, and for <i>S. pneumoniae</i> was 33 mm.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The TECOFFs for faropenem against the tested bacteria were established. These data are useful for clinical microbiologists and clinicians in the interpretation of the results of faropenem susceptibility testing.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1757254"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143937/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147835713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on the nucleocapsid protein of bovine parainfluenza virus type 3.","authors":"Juan Liao, Xue Yang, Ruiqi Li, Aoyuntuya Zhang, Yu Han, Shanhui Ren, Shijun Bao, Jinxin Xie","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1822931","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1822931","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 (BPIV3) is an important pathogen in the bovine respiratory disease complex. The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient and rapid serological detection method, an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA), for BPIV3.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The full-length N gene of BPIV3 was amplified from reverse-transcribed BPIV3 cDNA and ligated into the pET-28a prokaryotic expression vector. The recombinant target N protein was correctly expressed. After purification, the target N protein was used to immunize BALB/c mice to prepare polyclonal antibodies. After experimental optimization, an iELISA for detecting antibodies against the BPIV3 N protein was established using purified protein and prepared polyclonal antibodies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The recombinant N protein was efficiently expressed after induction with isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside at 32°C for 16 h. Immunization of BALB/c mice with the purified recombinant N protein elicited polyclonal antibodies that specifically reacted with BPIV3, with an antibody titer of 1:256000. The optimized iELISA conditions were as follows. Microtiter plates were coated with antigen at 5× 10^-2 μg/mL, incubated overnight at 4 °C, and blocked with 1% bovine serum albumin for 2 h at 37 °C. Subsequently, plates were incubated with primary polyclonal antibodies at a working dilution of 1:8000 and horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies at a dilution of 1:8000 for 1 h at 37 °C. Finally, the colorimetric reaction was allowed to proceed for 10 min. Specificity tests showed that this method had no serological cross-reaction with other pathogens. Both intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation were lower than 10%. Positive signals were still detected when the clinical-positive BPIV3 serum was diluted 1:6400. The concordance rate between this method and the virus neutralization test for clinical serum samples was 95.8%. A total of 176 cattle serum samples were tested using this iELISA method, yielding a serum antibody positivity rate of 94.9%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The N protein polyclonal antibody prepared in this study provides an important biological basis for research on the mechanism of BPIV3 infection. The establishment of an iELISA can enable the rapid screening of clinical samples, thereby providing reliable technical support for the epidemiological investigation of BPIV3.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1822931"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143965/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147836150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Confronting the \"lethal duo\" in the ICU: early identification of <i>Aspergillus-Mucorales</i> co-infection using a clinical-immuno-inflammatory signature.","authors":"Hongqiang Xie, Jiaxu Gu, Junjie Cui, Mengwen Feng, Yonghui Cui, Baoxia Wang, Yi Li, Beiyuan Zhang, Ming Chen","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1779186","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1779186","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Co-infection with <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Mucorales</i> in the intensive care unit (ICU) represents a devastating syndrome with high mortality that is frequently clinically occult. Clinically distinguishing this co-infection from invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is challenging but critical for tailoring precise antifungal strategies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a single-center, retrospective observational study involving 93 critically ill patients (75 with <i>Aspergillus</i> infection and 18 with co-infection) admitted between 2017 and 2025. We compared clinical characteristics, inflammatory markers, and immunophenotypes between groups. A three-stage variable selection strategy integrating univariable regression pre-screening, multi-algorithm importance ranking (LASSO, Ridge, and Random Forest), and clinical applicability filtering was employed to identify predictors for a multivariable logistic regression nomogram.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The co-infection group exhibited substantially higher ICU mortality than the sole <i>Aspergillus</i> group, although the difference did not reach statistical significance (72.2% vs. 53.3%, <i>p</i> = 0.24).Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that initiation of amphotericin B within <7 days of diagnosis or strong clinical suspicion was significantly associated with improved survival (log-rank <i>p</i> < 0.0001). A three-stage variable selection strategy integrating univariable regression, multi-algorithm importance ranking (LASSO, Ridge, and Random Forest), and clinical applicability filtering identified four key predictors. The resulting multivariable logistic regression nomogram - incorporating NK cell count, C-reactive protein, corticosteroid use history, and Gram-positive bacterial co-infection - demonstrated robust discrimination (AUC = 0.878, 95% CI: 0.789-0.967), with good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow <i>p</i> = 0.849) and stability on internal validation (cross-validated AUC = 0.860).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong><i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Mucorales</i> co-infection constitutes a distinct, high-mortality clinical entity in the ICU. The developed nomogram, integrating clinical, immunological, and inflammatory features, may facilitate the early identification of high-risk patients and guide timely initiation of <i>Mucorales</i>-active therapy to improve prognosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1779186"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13144045/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147836180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trypanosomatidae (Kinetoplastea: Trypanosomatida) diversity infecting the South American coati <i>Nasua nasua</i> (Carnivora: Procyonidae) in urban forest fragments in the Brazilian Midwest.","authors":"Gabriel Carvalho de Macedo, Wanessa Gomes Teixeira Barreto, Carina Elisei de Oliveira, Leonardo França do Nascimento, Andreza Castro Rucco, Julia Gindri Bragato Pistori, William Oliveira de Assis, Geovanna Silva Dos Santos, Wesley Arruda Gimenes Nantes, Gisele Braziliano de Andrade, André Luiz Rodrigues Roque, Heitor Miraglia Herrera","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1822974","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1822974","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>South American coatis are reported as key-hosts of trypanosomatid species in Brazilian Pantanal, presenting high parasitemia and infection rates, long-lasting infections, ability to bioaccumulate <i>Trypanosoma evansi</i>, <i>T. rangeli</i> and different genotypes of <i>T. cruzi</i>, and biological features that favor these parasites' transmission. Moreover, this mammal species was also reported parasitized by the monoxenous trypanosomatid <i>Crithidia mellificae</i> and included in the epidemiological scenario of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Campo Grande (CG), Brazilian Midwest. Within this context, the aim of this work was to assess the diversity of trypanosomatid species in coatis from CG.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Samples of 110 South American coatis captured in two forest fragments were submitted to Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (nPCR) of small ribosomal ribonucleic acid subunit (SSU rRNA) gene and Sanger sequencing analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The positivity rate of nPCR was 36.4% (40/110) among individuals, including infections by <i>Leishmania infantum</i>, <i>L. amazonensis</i>, <i>T. cruzi</i> and the Molecular Operational Taxonomic Unit Trypanosomatidae sp. CROT. When combining SSU rRNA detection and sequencing with previous published data from the same coati cohort, we observed a positivity rate of 47.3% (52/110), in single (36.4%; n = 40/110) or mixed Trypanosomatidae infections (10.9%; n = 12/110).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Our findings indicate the South American coati is a key-hosts species in the ecology of trypanosomatids also in the urban environment of CG.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1822974"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143924/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147835987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diagnostic performance and clinical utility of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in suspected pulmonary infections: a comparative study stratified by immune status.","authors":"Tian Li, Jingjing Liu, Xingguang Wang","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1812778","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1812778","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pulmonary infections represent a significant global health concern, contributing substantially to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) represents an advanced, comprehensive, and unbiased diagnostic approach for pathogen identification, effectively overcoming many limitations inherent in conventional diagnostic methods. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the clinical performance of mNGS in the etiological diagnosis of pulmonary infections, with a particular emphasis on its utility across diverse immune statuses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective study included 136 patients with suspected pulmonary infections admitted to the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Shandong Provincial Hospital from June 2023 to April 2025. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were collected from all patients and concurrently subjected to mNGS and conventional microbiological testing (CMT). The pathogen detection spectrum and diagnostic performance of mNGS were systematically compared against those of CMT.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>mNGS exhibited a significantly higher overall pathogen detection rate compared to CMT (77.2% vs. 50.0%, P < 0.001). Regarding the pathogen spectrum, mNGS identified a broader array of microorganisms, encompassing 19 bacterial, 9 fungal, and 2 mycobacterial species, in contrast to the 11 bacterial, 5 fungal, and 1 mycobacterial species detected by CMT. Diagnostic performance analysis further revealed that mNGS sensitivity was significantly superior to that of CMT (74.6% vs. 46.7%, P < 0.001). Furthermore, mNGS demonstrated a distinct advantage in detecting mixed infections, with a detection rate of 19.1%, significantly exceeding that of CMT (8.8%, P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis indicated a significantly higher incidence of mixed infections in immunocompromised patients compared to immunocompetent patients (35.1% vs. 13.1%, P < 0.05). Additionally, immunocompromised patients were more frequently subjected to adjustments in antimicrobial therapy guided by mNGS results (56.8% vs. 35.4%, χ² = 5.094, P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In conclusion, mNGS offers superior sensitivity and broader pathogen coverage for the etiological diagnosis of pulmonary infections compared to conventional microbiological testing. Its enhanced capability to detect mixed infections significantly improves diagnostic accuracy in immunocompromised patients and effectively facilitates the dynamic optimization of antimicrobial therapy. Serving as a powerful complement to traditional diagnostic methods, mNGS holds particular value for the rapid diagnosis of complex and immunosuppression-associated pulmonary infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1812778"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143925/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147836201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: Perspectives in virus and host: 2025.","authors":"Yu Yang, Severino Jefferson Ribeiro da Silva, Dhaneshwar Kumar, Kanchan Bhardwaj, Yong Qi","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1849483","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1849483","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1849483"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143919/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147835663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional metagenomic reconstruction of microbial pathways altered by probiotic supplementation in liver failure.","authors":"Junli Luo, Yuhan Feng, Jinzi Chen, Nuo Xu, Guoqin Zhang, Jiawei Ni, Cai Li","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2026.1799729","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1799729","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Liver failure is a severe condition marked by circulatory failure, systemic inflammation, and gut microbial dysbiosis. This dysbiosis worsens liver damage by reducing beneficial metabolites and increasing harmful products. This study investigates the effects of probiotics on gut microbial functional pathways in liver failure. The aim is to link microbial metabolic reprogramming with host biochemical, inflammatory, and gut barrier responses through functional metagenomic reconstruction.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Acute liver failure was induced in male Wistar rats using D-galactosamine (700 mg/kg) and lipopolysaccharide (10 μg/kg). Probiotic treatment began 24 hours after induction and was administered daily for 14 consecutive days before euthanasia. Two doses were used: low (1×10⁸ CFU/day) and high (1×10⁹ CFU/day). Fecal samples underwent shotgun metagenomic sequencing, followed by functional pathway reconstruction. These predictions were validated using metabolite profiling, quantitative PCR of microbial genes, intestinal barrier assays, and immune cell cytokine analysis. Host phenotypic markers were correlated with microbial pathways.</p><p><strong>Results and discussion: </strong>Liver failure significantly elevated serum ALT (42.6±6.8 to 512.4±48.9 U/L), AST (78.3±9.5 to 684.7±62.1 U/L), and plasma ammonia (38.9±5.2 to 128.6±14.3 μmol/L). Probiotic supplementation showed a dose-dependent improvement. ALT dropped to 382.7±41.6 U/L (low dose) and 248.9±32.4 U/L (high dose). Ammonia levels decreased to 86.4±9.7 μmol/L and 59.8±7.6 μmol/L, respectively. Metagenomic analysis revealed a 1.7- and 2.6-fold increase in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) biosynthesis pathways and a 38% and 61% decrease in urease-associated nitrogen metabolism. These changes were confirmed by higher fecal SCFAs (31.8±4.2 to 63.9±6.4 mM), lower ammonia (8.9±1.1 to 3.7±0.5 mM), improved intestinal barrier integrity (TEER: 462±38 to 721±44 Ω·cm²), and reduced TNF-α (214.6±22.8 to 74.9±12.3 pg/mL). Probiotic supplementation significantly reprogrammed the gut microbiome in liver failure. This highlights its potential as a therapeutic modulator of the gut-liver axis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1799729"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13144039/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147835721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}