Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology最新文献

{"title":"Application of probiotic therapy in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: mediating mechanism and future perspective.","authors":"Xing-Yu Luo, Wei-Bin Huang, Chuang-Hui Lu, Wu Gu, Zi-Xuan Feng, Sui Shen, Ming-Zheng Chen, Shu-Sen Zheng, Zhe Yang","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1638372","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1638372","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a global prevalence of 20%-33%, and has become the main cause of chronic liver disease. Apart from lifestyle modification therapy, there is currently no definitive pharmacological treatment, thus there is an urgent need to find effective intervention strategies to treat NAFLD. With the discovery of the important role of gut microbes in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, research on the prevention and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by probiotics is increasing. At present, many studies have confirmed the role of probiotic regulation in the treatment of NAFLD, which can reduce the level of transaminase and liver fibrosis in patients and protect the liver. The clinical application of probiotics includes single species such as <i>Lactobacillus</i> and <i>Bifidobacteria</i>, as well as synbiotics with different compositions. This article reviews the therapeutic effects of probiotics on NAFLD and the mechanisms by which probiotics directly or indirectly affect the disease. Further research is needed to fully understand the specific underlying mechanisms between probiotics, gut microbes, and NAFLD, and more large-scale clinical trials are needed to evaluate probiotics for the treatment of NAFLD.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1638372"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12477135/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145198887","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":"Genetic diversity and antibiotic resistance of <i>Mycobacterium bovis</i> in bovines in the Delta area of Egypt.","authors":"Mohamed Sabry A Elsayed, Zahraa H Alqaim, Aysam M Fayed, Samah Mahmoud Eldsouky, Mohamed Salah Basiouny, Azza M Metwally, Ahmed Abdelbadee, Al Shaimaa Hasan, Amira Kamal ElDin Mohammed ElAlfy, Mai Afifi Nasr, Shimaa Mostafa Elnahas Wahdan, Rasha Abdelhamid Elsayed, Mai Magdy Anwer, Abeer Mahmoud El-Bahy, Ahmed Salah","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1600225","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1600225","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong><i>Mycobacterium bovis</i> (<i>M. bovis</i>) causes significant financial harm to the cattle industry through decreased productivity and trade limitations, while also posing a risk to human health through zoonotic transmission, which is primarily from unpasteurized milk or close animal contact.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Single intradermal tuberculin was used to test 2400 cases (1000 Holstein Friesian cattle and 1400 native breed buffaloes) during the national control program from Cairo, El-Buhaira, Dakahlia, Gharbia, Menoufia, and Sharkia districts located at the northern areas of Egypt. Tuberculin-positive cases were slaughtered and subjected to postmortem examination and isolation of <i>M. bovis</i> was performed. IS<i>6110</i> primer was used in PCR test to confirm the existence of genus mycobacterium and regions of difference-based differentiation was used to detect <i>M. bovis</i> on the species level, phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance, as well as mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeat analysis (MIRU-VNTR) were performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 65 out of 2400 (2.7%) cases were single intradermal tuberculin test positive, 40 out of 65 (61.53%) were <i>M. bovis</i> positive on PCR, and the 40 isolates exhibited susceptibility to ethambutol, rifampicin, streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, and sparfloxacin. From them, 32 (80%) were susceptible to isoniazid, and 8 (20%) were resistant. These eight isolates contained three distinct <i>kat</i>G mutations at codons 315, 463, and 506 with rates of 2/8 (25%), 3/8 (37.5%), and 3/8 (37.5%), respectively each representing a unique, single-codon mutation. MIRU-VNTR analysis enabled the identification of 35 distinct genotypes, with genotypes 26, 27, and 28 showing high prevalence. The nine highly discriminatory loci MIRU10, QUB11b, MIRU26, QUB26, QUB4156, MIRU04 ETRD, ETRA, Mtub30, and Mtub39 with a discriminating index of 0.9676 were suitable for the preliminary genotyping of <i>M. bovis</i> isolates from animals. <i>M. bovis</i>, ID: 7540/01, Lineage: Bovis and ID: 951/01, Lineage: Bovis from Germany were the closest lineages to our genotypes using the MIRU-VNTR plus database.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong><i>M. bovis</i> isolated from cattle and buffaloes of some Delta area districts expressed high diversity and some isolates showed resistance to isoniazid with <i>kat</i>G mutations. Continuous implementation of MIRU-VNTR analysis will help to trace the origin and similarities among animal and human isolates within the Delta area.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1600225"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12463954/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145185202","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":"Exploring viral diversity in diarrheic porcine feces: a metagenomic analysis from an Indian swine farm.","authors":"Sushila Maan, Kanisht Batra, Jeyaprakash Rajendhran, Raison Joseph, Vikash K Singh, Deepika Chaudhary, Swati Sindhu, Vijay Kadian, Aman Kumar, Narender Singh Maan, Sunil Mor","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1653342","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1653342","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pig husbandry is a vital sector in India, providing nutritional security and employment for marginalized communities. Pigs are advantageous due to high reproduction rates and fecundity, shorter generation intervals, and efficient feed conversion, requiring minimal housing. However, the swine industry encounters significant disease challenges, particularly viral gastroenteritis, which poses serious public health risks, especially in developing countries. Pigs serve as natural reservoirs and amplifiers for numerous viruses with zoonotic potential, making disease surveillance essential.</p><p><strong>Materials: </strong>In this study, we conducted a metagenomic analysis of 15 fecal samples from diarrheic pigs on a farm in India, marking the first exploration of the fecal virome diversity in this region. Our next-generation sequencing approach has enabled the unbiased detection of multiple viral agents in the porcine fecal samples, detecting both known and novel viral agents without prior target knowledge.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The key and novel viruses obtained in our study were porcine circovirus, porcine parvovirus 7, porcine mamastrovirus 3, porcine sapelovirus A, and porcine enterovirus G. This work resulted in the generation of full genomes for multiple porcine viruses, including <i>Circovirus, Enterovirus, Sapelovirus</i>, and <i>Mamastrovirus</i>, along with partial genomes of <i>Parvovirus, Picobirnavirus, Porcine stool-associated RNA virus</i> (Porcine Posavirus), <i>Kobuvirus</i>, and <i>Rotavirus</i>, all subjected to phylogenetic analysis.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our survey indicates frequent co-infections with diverse viruses, creating conducive environments for viral recombination and reassortment. Continuous surveillance of viral pathogens in animal populations is essential for understanding the dynamics of both known and novel viruses and for detecting emerging pathogens, along with their zoonotic and pathogenic potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1653342"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12463912/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145185139","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":"Identification and functional characterization of a novel <i>Acinetobacter pittii</i> bacteriophage-encoded depolymerase.","authors":"Na Zhang, Wei Li, Xue Du, Danish Daniyal, Meng-Ai Feng, Jiaoyang Xu, Ziqin Yang, Hailin Jiang, Muhammad Sheraz, Honglan Huang, Santasree Banerjee, Hongyan Shi","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1608526","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1608526","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong><i>Acinetobacter pittii</i> is increasingly recognized as a significant cause of nosocomial infections. Bacteriophage-encoded depolymerases that degrade capsular polysaccharides (CPS)-a major virulence factor of <i>A. pittii</i>-represent promising therapeutic tools.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study identified and characterized a novel depolymerase, designated 31TSP, derived from the <i>A. pittii</i> bacteriophage 31Y. Its functional stability across various pH levels (5-11) and temperatures (4 °C to 121 °C) was assessed. The inhibitory effect of 31TSP on biofilm formation and its disruptive activity against preformed biofilms were evaluated using crystal violet staining, viable cell counts and scanning electron microscopy. Combinatorial treatments with 31TSP and ampicillin were conducted. Furthermore, the enzyme's stability under different ion concentrations (NaCl) and its ability to enhance serum bactericidal activity were tested under experimental conditions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Characterization demonstrated that 31TSP exhibits a broad host range against <i>A. pittii</i>, <i>A. baumannii</i>, and <i>A. nosocomialis</i>. The enzyme degraded the CPS of host bacteria and displayed inhibition effects on sensitive hosts. 31TSP retained functional stability across a wide pH range (5-11) and temperatures from 4 °C to 121 °C. Its inhibitory effect on biofilm formation and disruptive activity against preformed biofilms were confirmed. Notably, combinatorial treatment with 31TSP and ampicillin significantly enhanced biofilm inhibition and disruption at 24 hours post-treatment. However, 31TSP did not maintain stability under different ion concentrations (NaCl) and could not enhance serum bactericidal activity under the experimental conditions.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These findings support the potential of 31TSP as an antibacterial agent against Acinetobacter infections. The observed synergy with conventional antibiotics, such as ampicillin, suggests a promising combinatorial strategy for future therapeutics targeting <i>Acinetobacter</i>. The enzyme's stability under extreme conditions of temperature and pH further underscores its therapeutic potential. However, its instability in varying ionic environments and lack of serum bactericidal enhancement highlight aspects requiring further investigation for clinical application.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1608526"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12463973/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145185197","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":"Proteomics analysis of soluble secreted proteins of <i>Lutzomyia longipalpis</i> LL5 cells transfected with a dsRNA viral mimic: insights into cellular defense and repair signals.","authors":"Andrea Martins da Silva, Ilya Violeta Llanos Salamanca, Michel Batista, Fabricio Klerynton Marchini, Antonio Jorge Tempone, Erich Loza Telleria, Yara Maria Traub-Csekö","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1638505","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1638505","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sand flies, which transmit diseases like leishmaniases, bartonellosis, and certain viruses, pose a significant public health threat. Our research focuses on the immune responses of <i>Lutzomyia longipalpis</i>, the primary vector for visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. We use <i>L. longipalpis</i> LL5 cells as a model to study how sand flies respond to pathogens. These cells exhibit robust immune reactions, producing molecules mainly regulated by the Toll, IMD, Jak-STAT, and RNAi pathways. In previous studies, we detected a non-specific antiviral response in LL5 cells following double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) transfection. A previous complete secretome of these cells showed molecules resembling an interferon-like antiviral response when transfected with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), a synthetic dsRNA analog. In the current study, we analyzed soluble proteins secreted by LL5 cells after poly I:C transfection. Using comparative mass spectrometry, we examined protein composition of conditioned media depleted of exosomes at 24 h and 48 h. Most proteins uniquely expressed in the transfected groups had low abundance compared to the overall expressed proteins. Interactome prediction analysis revealed that at 24 h, the proteins uniquely found in the secretome of the transfected group were involved in RNA degradation and purine metabolism, while at 48 h they were linked to ribosomal proteins and signaling pathways such as Hedgehog, Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β), and Wingless/integrated (Wnt). We highlight increased abundance of the TGF-β-induced protein ig-h3 (24 h and 48 h), a Toll-like receptor 3 (48 h), and a hemocytin (48 h) in the secretion of transfected groups compared to the controls. We also performed an interaction analysis of proteins more secreted by the treated group at 24 h and 48 h. Unlike the interactome of uniquely identified proteins, few interactions were observed at 24 h, with a predominance of extracellular matrix and cell adhesion proteins. The set of proteins more secreted at 48 h presented more interactions than at 24 h, with emphasis on catabolic processes, including RNA degradation. These findings indicate that poly I:C transfection in LL5 cells induces the secretion of proteins involved in cellular defense and repair, revealing molecules involved in the LL5 non-specific antiviral response.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1638505"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12460361/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145185167","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":"Cryptococcal infection: host immunity, immune evasion and emerging immunotherapeutic strategies.","authors":"Fei Li, Xinxin Yu, Miao Li, Xiaoyu Ning, Kaijian Zhou","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1671873","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1671873","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cryptococcal infection is a typical opportunistic infection that significantly endangers human health, particularly to immunocompromised populations. As the top priority fungal pathogen listed by the World Health Organization, conventional antifungal drugs for cryptococcal infection are often ineffective and fail to completely eradicate the pathogen. One of the key factors underlying the treatment failure is the sophisticated immune escape strategies employed by <i>Cryptococcus</i>, which constitutes a major clinical challenge. Overcoming immune escape is key to improving therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, exploring new therapeutic methods, especially immunotherapy, is of paramount importance in combating the escape mechanisms and boosting the host's defense capabilities. In this review, we focus on the host's pattern recognition receptors, the innate and adaptive immune responses to the <i>Cryptococcus</i> infection, the immune escape tricks of <i>Cryptococcus</i>, and the prospects for immunotherapy, providing new insights for developing the anti-<i>Cryptococcus</i> immunotherapeutic strategies for the immunocompromised populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1671873"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12460351/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145185214","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":"Retraction: <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> mucinous phenotypes and <i>algUmucABD</i> operon mutant characteristics obtained from inpatients with bronchiectasis and their correlation with acute aggravation.","authors":"","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1699040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1699040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1402348.].</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1699040"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12461224/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145185147","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":"Epidemiology, drug resistance, and clinical risk factors of peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis: a five-year multicenter study.","authors":"Min Zhang, Xiang Li, Yun Zhang, Jingxian Wu, Jie Liu, Yajuan Li, Anyong Wang, Yuanhong Xu, Bo Wang, Jinxing Xia","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1654246","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1654246","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis (PDAP) remains a major complication in long-term dialysis patients, leading to significant morbidity and healthcare burden. This study aimed to investigate the microbial spectrum, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and clinical risk factors associated with PDAP in hospitalized patients in Anhui, China, over the past five years.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective analysis was conducted on 438 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients from three PD centers in Anhui from 2020 to early 2025. Of these, 238 patients were diagnosed with PDAP and 200 served as controls without peritonitis. Peritoneal effluents were cultured and microbiologically identified using MALDI-TOF MS and VITEK 2 systems. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing followed CLSI M100 standards. Clinical and laboratory data were statistically analyzed using SPSS v26.0, and multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine independent risk factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Significant differences were observed between the PDAP and control cohorts in sex, age, hospitalization time, PD duration, red blood cell count, total protein, albumin, blood glucose, and concomitant conditions (<i>e.g.</i>, hepatitis B, autoimmune diseases, and hyperthyroidism) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Laboratory infectious markers including peripheral blood white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil percentage, procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein, peritoneal dialysate WBC and multinucleated cell counts, were significantly elevated in the PDAP population compared to controls, with serum PCT and dialysate WBCs presented as significant predictors after multivariate adjustment. <i>Staphylococcus</i> species showed predominant methicillin resistance (47.22% oxacillin-susceptible) with moxifloxacin outperforming other fluoroquinolones, while carbapenems demonstrated near-universal efficacy against Enterobacterales (<i>esp.</i>, for ertapenem). <i>Candida</i> species mounted variable antifungal responses, with optimal activities of amphotericin B/flucytosine except fluconazole, underscoring both therapeutic opportunities and emerging resistance threats across bacterial and fungal pathogens.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The multicenter study confirmed elevated serum PCT and peritoneal dialysate leukocytes as robust independent clinical predictors for PDAP, with other risk factors significantly increasing disease susceptibility. The diverse microbial spectrum and antimicrobial resistance features shed light on the importance of updated local microbial surveillance to guide empirical treatment and clinical management strategies on PDAP.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1654246"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12460227/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145185142","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":"Optimization of decision thresholds for Mycobacterium tuberculosis can effectively improve the performance of mNGS in tuberculosis diagnosis.","authors":"Yuecui Li, Lili Zhang, Guannan Ma, Chenghang Li, Weiyue Hu, Ruotong Ren, Yinghui Zang, Dandan Ying, Shuai Qiu, Shuyan Jin, Chunjie Qiu, Xuefang Cao","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1646194","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1646194","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis remains challenging due to limitations in traditional methods. This study aimed to optimize the metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) threshold for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) detection and evaluate its efficacy compared to standard diagnostic approaches.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 264 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were collected from patients with suspected pulmonary TB at Yongkang First People's Hospital between January 2022 and June 2023. After excluding patients with incomplete data, 59 clinically confirmed TB patients and 111 with non-tuberculous conditions were enrolled. mNGS data were analyzed to calculate reads per million (RPM) for MTBC, and thresholds of 0.02, 0.05, and 0.10 RPM were evaluated for diagnostic efficacy using clinical diagnosis as the gold standard.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for mNGS in diagnosing TB at RPM thresholds of ≥0.02, ≥0.05, and ≥0.10 were 0.881, 0.873, and 0.814, respectively. The optimal detection threshold was found at RPM ≥ 0.05. Comparative analysis showed mNGS (AUC = 0.873) outperformed routine culture (0.718), PCR (0.741), and Xpert (0.763). Combining mNGS with these methods improved AUC values to 0.837, 0.868, and 0.873, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Optimizing the mNGS threshold to ≥0.05 significantly enhances MTBC detection in pulmonary TB. Combining mNGS with traditional methods further improves diagnostic efficacy, suggesting a potential role for mNGS in clinical TB management.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1646194"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12485630/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211985","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":"BALB/c mice infection with hybrid <i>Leishmania</i> (<i>V.</i>) <i>guyanensis</i>/<i>L.</i> (<i>V.</i>) <i>shawi</i> showed an intermediate virulence profile compared to parental species infections.","authors":"Ana Carolina Stocco Lima, Thaise Yumie Tomokane, Gabriela Fernandes Rodrigues, Larissa Dos Santos Alcântara, Marliane Batista Campos, Maíra Pombo, Márcia Dalastra Laurenti, Vania Lucia Ribeiro da Matta, Lucile Maria Floeter-Winter, Carlos Eduardo Pereira Corbett, Fernando Tobias Silveira, Cláudia Maria de Castro Gomes","doi":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1648268","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fcimb.2025.1648268","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Hybridization events within the genus <i>Leishmania</i> have been documented; however, their impact on the infection dynamics of hybrids remains poorly understood. In this study, we compared the infection dynamics caused by a hybrid parasite, <i>Leishmania</i> (<i>Viannia</i>) <i>guyanensis</i>/<i>Leishmania</i> (<i>Viannia</i>) <i>shawi</i>, with those caused by its parental species, <i>Leishmania</i> (<i>Viannia</i>) <i>guyanensis</i> and <i>Leishmania</i> (<i>Viannia</i>) <i>shawi</i>, in BALB/c mice.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Balb/c mice were inoculated with stationary-phase promastigote forms of each parasite. Lesion development and parasite load were monitored longitudinally, and cytokine production was assessed at 35 days post-infection (PI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The infection with the hybrid parasite induced a more rapid and evident progression, attaining its largest dimension between days 14 and 28 days PI, followed by regression. In contrast, infection with <i>L</i>. (<i>V</i>.) <i>guyanensis</i> resulted in a continuous increase in swelling, whereas <i>L</i>. (<i>V</i>.) <i>shawi</i> caused only mild swelling. Parasite loads in skin and lymph nodes were comparable across groups, though the hybrid parasite exhibited a significant increase in parasite burden from day 35 PI onwards.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The immunologic response of hybrid parasite infection was associated with reduced gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and elevated interleukin 4 (IL-4) production compared to parental species and controls (P < 0.05), with no significant differences observed in interleukin 12 (IL-12p40) or interleukin 10 (IL-10). Infection with <i>L</i>. (<i>V</i>.) <i>guyanensis</i> led to decreased IFN-γ in lymph nodes and increased IL-4 production in both skin and lymph nodes, whereas <i>L</i>. (<i>V</i>.) <i>shawi</i> infection did not significantly alter cytokine profiles.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Together, these findings provide important insights into the distinct biological behavior of the <i>Leishmania</i> hybrid parasite and its parental species, underscoring the relevance of hybridization in shaping host-parasite interactions and advancing our understanding of leishmaniasis within complex eco-epidemiological settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":12458,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology","volume":"15 ","pages":"1648268"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12460293/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145185194","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}