Gut Pathogens最新文献

{"title":"Clinical characteristics and risk factor analysis of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella infection in children.","authors":"Weiting Chi, Liyang Zhang, Rongrong Yang, Qixin Ding, Xing Liao, Dong Wang, Yueqing Su, Boqiu Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00857-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00857-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>To investigate the clinical characteristics of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) infection in children and systematically analyze associated factors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Clinical data, including epidemiological information, demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, bacterial strain characteristics, and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, were collected from pediatric patients hospitalized with non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infection at Fujian Maternal and Child Health Hospital or Fujian Children's Hospital from January 2013 to December 2022. Patients were categorized into iNTS and non-iNTS infection groups based on bacterial culture sources. Univariate comparisons explored clinical features associated with iNTS infection. Multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses identified associated factors for iNTS infection. Subgroup analysis was performed by age stratification (infants: <1 year, toddlers: 1-<3 years, and older children: ≥3 years).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 314 children with NTS infection were included, of whom 38 (38/314, 12.1%) had iNTS infection. Disease onset was predominantly observed in infants and young children, with higher incidence during summer and autumn. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified pre‑hospitalization fever duration (P<0.001, OR = 1.235, 95%CI 1.122-1.359), LDH level (P = 0.027, OR = 1.003, 95%CI 1.000-1.006), and Salmonella serogroup C1 (P = 0.013, OR = 4.392, 95%CI 1.373-14.049) as independent risk factors for iNTS infection. The combined ROC curve of these three factors showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.831, sensitivity of 76.3%, and specificity of 75.4%. In the infant subgroup, pre‑hospitalization fever duration (P = 0.006, OR = 1.205, 95%CI 1.055-1.376) and anemia (P = 0.039, OR = 2.884, 95%CI 1.053-7.897) were significantly associated with iNTS infection, yielding a combined AUC of 0.838.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In hospitalized pediatric patients with NTS infection, pre‑hospitalization fever duration, LDH level, and Salmonella serogroup C1 are independent factors associated with iNTS infection, with good diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.831). In infants, anemia is also independently associated (combined AUC = 0.838). Epidemiological data, demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, and routine laboratory tests provide preliminary clinical clues; however, further prospective studies are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13430767/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148382077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The gastrointestinal microbiome and constituent short-chain fatty acids: a narrative review of an underexplored axis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.","authors":"Cate V Cheney, Elyse C Page, David T Yeung, Deborah L White","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00855-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00855-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive malignancy of lymphoid progenitors, and remains the most commonly diagnosed hematological cancer in the pediatric population. Although 5-year overall survival rates now exceed 90%, standard-of-care therapies are associated with substantial acute and long-term toxicities, underscoring the need for novel and supportive strategies that preserve treatment efficacy whilst reducing dose-limiting side effects. Increasing evidence linking the microbiome to therapeutic response and toxicity in oncology highlights the potential relevance of microbial-derived metabolites, particularly short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), in hematological malignancies. This review critically examines the emerging, yet limited, evidence supporting a role for SCFAs in ALL, integrating mechanistic insights from metabolic, immunological, and oncological studies to propose biologically plausible pathways of involvement. Specifically, we suggest how SCFAs may influence treatment response, mitigate therapy-related toxicity, reduce treatment-related morbidity and modulate early-life factors associated with ALL risk. Whilst direct ALL-specific evidence remains sparse, we propose that SCFAs represent a compelling and underexplored axis for microbiome-ALL research, and we aim to stimulate targeted experimental and clinical investigations to define their therapeutic potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13429023/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148345127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gut microbiota-derived metabolites as potential therapeutic agents for intervertebral disc degeneration: insights from network pharmacology and molecular docking.","authors":"Hang Liu, Shuai Zhang, Dengbo Yao, Yu Wang, Qingquan Kong","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00844-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00844-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Increasing evidence highlights the critical role of gut microbiota diversity in maintaining systemic homeostasis; however, the mechanisms by which microbiota-derived metabolites regulate host targets remain incompletely understood. Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is strongly associated with chronic inflammation and metabolic dysregulation. This study employed a network pharmacology approach to elucidate metabolite-target interactions underlying the gut-disc axis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Gut microbiota-derived metabolites were retrieved from the gutMGene database, and their potential targets were predicted using the Similarity Ensemble Approach and SwissTargetPrediction. IDD-related genes were collected from GeneCards and OMIM databases. Overlapping targets were identified to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and screen core genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed using R software. A gut microbiota-metabolites-targets (G-M-T) network was established, followed by molecular docking to assess metabolite-target binding affinities.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-two overlapping targets were identified, among which nine key candidates were initially screened. Network analysis revealed IL6, TLR4, CXCL8, and JUN as core targets due to their high connectivity. Enrichment analyses indicated that these targets were mainly involved in inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, apoptosis, extracellular matrix metabolism, and IL-17- and lipid-related pathways. The G-M-T network highlighted butyrate, propionate, acetate, succinate, trimethylamine oxide, and 3-indolepropionic acid as core metabolites. Molecular docking suggested favorable binding affinities, with 3-indolepropionic acid exhibiting the strongest interactions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Gut microbiota-derived metabolites, particularly 3-indolepropionic acid, may modulate IDD progression by targeting IL6, TLR4, CXCL8, and JUN through inflammation- and lipid-related pathways, providing mechanistic insights into the gut-disc axis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13309944/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148301654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cytomegalovirus gastritis in an immunocompetent host: insights into gut viral pathogenesis and mucosal barrier disruption.","authors":"Jalal Al Khateeb, Tala N Musa, Nour Almaqadma, Firas Melhem, Sami Bannoura","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00849-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00849-x","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus and an important, often underappreciated, viral pathogen of the gastrointestinal tract.Although CMV infection is typically asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, gastric involvement, a rare manifestation of gut CMV disease, poses a significant diagnostic challenge due to non-specific clinical and endoscopic features. The mechanisms by which CMV disrupts the gastric mucosal barrier, induces local inflammatory responses, and causes systemic protein loss remain incompletely characterised in immunocompetent hosts.To our knowledge, this is one of the youngest reported female cases of CMV gastritis with protein-losing gastropathy in an immunocompetent adult. This report aims to illuminate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying severe CMV gastroduodenitis and the critical role of histopathological confirmation in establishing the diagnosis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Case presentation: &lt;/strong&gt;A 23-year-old previously healthy woman presented with progressive epigastric pain, vomiting, non-bloody diarrhoea, and severe bilateral lower-limb oedema following a self-limited flu-like illness.Physical examination revealed diffuse abdominal tenderness and marked peripheral oedema.Laboratory investigations showed elevated inflammatory markers, anaemia, and profound hypoalbuminaemia (serum albumin 20.4 g/L). CMV serology demonstrated markedly elevated IgM and IgG titres. Imaging studies demonstrated splenomegaly with small infarcts. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed severe gastric mucosal erythema with sloughing and exudation, as well as duodenal inflammation. Histopathological examination of gastric and duodenal biopsies demonstrated viral cytopathic changes consistent with CMV infection, including characteristic intranuclear owl-eye inclusions, confirming the diagnosis. The patient was treated with oral valganciclovir 900 mg twice daily for three weeks alongside supportive therapy, resulting in rapid clinical improvement, resolution of oedema, and significant normalisation of laboratory parameters. At one-month follow-up, she was asymptomatic with complete recovery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;This case illuminates the pathophysiological mechanisms by which CMV, a virus with well-characterised tropism for gastrointestinal epithelium that can disrupt the gastric mucosal barrier sufficiently to cause profound systemic protein loss. The low serum immunoglobulin G observed on admission most likely reflected secondary enteric immunoglobulin loss rather than pre-existing immunodeficiency, a distinction with important diagnostic implications. The case underscores that histopathological confirmation is the cornerstone of diagnosis, as serological and endoscopic findings alone are insufficient to distinguish active CMV tissue invasion from more common gastrointestinal conditions.The dramatic biochemical and clinical response observed following antiviral therapy provides an ","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13573371/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148277170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Human microbiome alterations in Epstein-Barr Virus infection: a systematic review.","authors":"Arghavan Zebardast, Kasra Javadi","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00854-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00854-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with several malignancies and immune-mediated conditions, but its relationship with human microbial communities remains incompletely understood. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus for human studies evaluating EBV-associated alterations in the microbiome. Because of substantial clinical and methodological heterogeneity, findings were synthesized narratively, and study quality was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool. Nine observational studies published between 2017 and 2025 were included, covering the oral cavity, nasopharynx, gut, gastric tissue, and subgingival plaque. EBV positivity or EBV-related clinical status was associated with niche-specific microbial shifts, including altered gut bacterial profiles, distinct microbial patterns in EBV-associated gastric cancer tissue, and enrichment of oral-associated pathobionts in nasopharyngeal carcinoma compartments. Alpha- and beta-diversity findings were inconsistent across studies. Overall, the evidence suggests context-dependent alterations in the microbiome in EBV-positive or EBV-related disease settings. However, these findings should be interpreted as EBV-associated rather than EBV-specific, particularly when EBV status overlaps with malignancy. The small observational evidence base, heterogeneous EBV-status definitions, methodological variability, and residual confounding limit causal inference. Larger longitudinal and standardized multi-omic studies are needed to clarify directionality, mechanisms, and clinical relevance.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13584428/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148277143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retraction Note: The gut-lung axis and microbiome dysbiosis in non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections: immune mechanisms, clinical implications, and therapeutic frontiers.","authors":"Fangfang Zhu, Hao Ying, Seyed Davar Siadat, Abolfazl Fateh","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00856-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00856-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13277253/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148271344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inhibitory effect of Acetylshikonin on drug-resistant Candida albicans.","authors":"Zhenyi Xu, Wenting Zhou, Jiazi Luo, Yuanyuan Dai, Shixian Yang, Shufang Li, Yanqiang Huang","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00851-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00851-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Candida albicans (C. albicans) is among the most common opportunistic fungal pathogens and causes superficial infections and life-threatening invasive candidiasis in immunocompromised individuals. In recent years, C. albicans has become resistant to a wide range of clinical drugs, and the identification of effective antifungal drugs is an extremely urgent medical need. Acetylshikonin (ASK) is a naphthoquinone compound extracted from Lithospermum erythrorhizon that exhibits potent antibacterial activity. However, its efficacy against C. albicans and antimicrobial mechanisms, especially against drug-resistant C. albicans, are unclear.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>The antifungal activity of ASK was evaluated based on minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) measured in vitro and in mouse models of vulvovaginal candidiasis and oropharyngeal candidiasis to assess its efficacy in vivo. Mechanistic investigations included assessments of cell membrane and cell wall damage, adhesion ability, oxidative stress evaluation, protein expression, and target identification (including RT‒qPCR, molecular docking, and related methods).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The main active ingredient from Lithospermum erythrorhizon that targets C. albicans was identified as ASK. It exhibits significant activity against drug-resistant fungi both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, ASK can reduce the adhesion of C. albicans and damage to cell membrane and cell wall and induce apoptosis-like cell death-like cell death. In addition, ASK may directly bind to Malate Synthase 1 (Mls1) and effectively downregulate its expression and inhibit the glyoxylate cycle, leading to the generation and accumulation of large amounts of ROS, and damage to DNA to achieve its antifungal effects.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ASK can treatment drug-resistant C. albicans infections, its mechanism of action is related to the inhibition of Mls1.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13617698/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148264263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fungal abundance across flare and remission in ulcerative colitis patients.","authors":"Claudia Herrera-deGuise, Encarna Varela, Guillaume Sarrabayrouse, Francisca Yáñez, Luis Mayorga-Ayala, Virginia Robles-Alonso, Elena Céspedes-Martínez, Xavier Serra-Ruiz, Ernesto Lastiri, Francisco Guarner, Natalia Borruel Sainz","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00846-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00846-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with gut microbiota alterations, but the role of the fungal microbiota remains underexplored. We conducted a prospective study quantifying absolute bacterial and fungal abundance in faecal samples from UC patients with varying disease activity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We amplified the ITS2 sequence (fungi) and 16 S rRNA gene (bacteria) in three groups of patients: UC long remission (UClr); UC short remission (UCsr) and UC flare (UCfl). Two faecal samples from UClr and UCsr, and one sample from UCfl group (at flare-onset) were collected.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eighty-seven patients were included: 29 UClr, 20 UCsr, and 38 UCfl. Across all patients, fungal ITS2 gene copies were markedly lower than bacterial 16 S rRNA copies (median 9.27E + 05 vs. 4.28E + 11 copies/g), with a fungal-to-bacterial ratio of 1:461,000. Fungal abundance was significantly higher in UCfl than in UClr (p = 0.0026), but not UCsr. The ITS2/16S ratio was also elevated in UCfl versus both remission groups (p < 0.01). Over time, fungal abundance showed greater variability than bacterial abundance, with a modest but significant decrease in the ITS2/16S ratio at 8 weeks (p = 0.029).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>While bacterial loads remained stable across disease states, fungal abundance and the fungal-to-bacterial ratio were higher during UC flares. These findings describe an association between fungal dynamics and disease activity in UC and support further investigation of inter-kingdom microbial relationships in this context.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13527993/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148264313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbadox, a veterinary growth promoter exhibits anticlostridial activity through induction of oxidative stress in Clostridioides difficile.","authors":"Ahmed A Abouelkhair, Nader S Abutaleb, Clayton C Caswell, Mohamed N Seleem","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00842-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00842-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Clostridioides difficile is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in hospitalized patients and is classified as an urgent public health threat. Current therapies, while effective, are limited by antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, treatment failure, and high recurrence rates, underscoring the need for novel therapeutics. Carbadox (CRX), an antibacterial growth promoter, has recently been identified as a potential anti-C. difficile inhibitor. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the anti-C. difficile activity, mechanism of action, and in vivo efficacy of CRX.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>CRX activity was assessed against a diverse panel of clinical C. difficile isolates using MIC determination, time-kill kinetics, and post-antibiotic effect assays. Its effects on toxin production were evaluated at subinhibitory concentrations, while post-germination vegetative growth was assessed under germination-permissive conditions at bactericidal concentrations. Mechanistic studies included macromolecular synthesis assays, reactive oxygen species (ROS) quantification, and antioxidant rescue experiments. Potential drug interactions were tested in combination assays with standard-of-care agents. Finally, the efficacy of CRX was examined in both acute and recurrent C. difficile infection (CDI) mouse models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>CRX demonstrated potent in vitro activity, inhibiting 50% of clinical isolates at an MIC₅₀ of 1 µg/mL. In time-kill assays, CRX rapidly cleared high bacterial inoculum within 4 h and displayed a prolonged post-antibiotic effect of up to 14 h. At subinhibitory concentrations, CRX significantly reduced toxin production compared with vancomycin, while at bactericidal concentrations it suppressed vegetative growth following spore germination. Mechanistic analysis revealed marked inhibition of DNA synthesis and increased oxidative stress-associated DNA damage signals, which was reversed by N-acetyl-L-cysteine supplementation. In vivo, CRX showed no recurrence among mice surviving to the end of therapy in both CRX treatment regimens, outperforming vancomycin in relapse prevention.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>CRX exhibits strong anti-C. difficile activity through DNA synthesis inhibition and increased oxidative stress-associated DNA damage, coupled with suppression of toxin production and inhibition of vegetative growth post-spore germination. Its efficacy in both acute and recurrent CDI mouse models highlights CRX as a useful proof-of-concept scaffold for the development of safer analogs targeting C. difficile. Further optimization and safety evaluation will be essential to advance its translational potential.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13374266/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148257817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Entamoeba histolytica clones presenting transient virulent phenotypes: subsequent fate of forcibly induced virulent clones by hamster's liver abscess model.","authors":"Yumiko Saito-Nakano, Shinji Izumiyama, Yasuaki Yanagawa, Seiki Kobayashi, Yuko Umeki, Takashi Makiuchi, Kumiko Nakada-Tsukui, Koji Watanabe","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00850-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00850-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Amebiasis, which is caused by Entamoeba histolytica, is prevalent worldwide. Clinical presentation varies from asymptomatic infection to life-threatening extraintestinal disease, and the clinical form can change within one infectious episode. It is also known that periodical animal passages are required for maintaining virulence of E. histolytica in vivo model, such as a hamster liver abscess or murine colitis model. However, it remains uncertain whether or for how long virulence induced by environmental stimuli persists during in vitro passage at the clonal level.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We generated clones from a hamster liver-passaged E. histolytica strain and periodically checked their liver abscess-forming capability during subsequent in vitro passages. We obtained three clones (ALA-1, ALA-5, and ALA-6) that were highly virulent (abscess weight accounting for > 30% of total liver weight in a hamster model). Interestingly, all clones showed reduced virulence, which disappeared completely after 18 months of in vitro passage. Furthermore, the time to loss of virulence varied among the three clones (18, 12, and 6 months for ALA-1, ALA-5, and ALA-6, respectively). Whole-genome sequencing revealed a small number of single nucleotide polymorphisms at different stages in culture, none of which were shared among clones. Transcriptome analysis comparing gene expression between the highly virulent and avirulent states revealed several differentially expressed genes in each clone. However, there was minimal overlap in differentially expressed genes among the three clones, emphasizing the high complexity of virulence expression in E. histolytica.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>E. histolytica can transiently adapt their phenotypes according to culture conditions at the clone level. Further studies are needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms of this \"protean\" infectious disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13505009/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148257771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}