Gut Pathogens最新文献

{"title":"Systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis among children in India.","authors":"Ann Mary Sebastian, Bijulal Aswathy, E R Sathya, Sananthya Karthikeyan, Muralidhara Rao Maradana, Madhumitha Haridoss","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00836-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00836-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13560282/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147769863","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-driven pre-metastatic niche formation in colorectal cancer liver metastasis: mechanisms and translational significance.","authors":"Pengyu Chen, Qian Geng, Wenyu Zhu, Hua Jiang","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00832-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00832-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major clinical challenge, closely linked to poor prognosis and limited therapeutic efficacy. Emerging evidence implicates the gut microbiota in orchestrating the formation and maturation of the hepatic pre-metastatic niche (PMN) through the gut-liver axis.</p><p><strong>Main body: </strong>Dysbiosis-induced disruption of intestinal barrier integrity facilitates microbial translocation, which triggers hepatic inflammation, immune suppression, metabolic reprogramming, and vascular remodelling, together creating a permissive soil for metastatic seeding. Among pathogenic taxa, Fusobacterium nucleatum has emerged as a key driver because it persistently colonises both primary tumours and hepatic metastases while modulating immunotolerance and chemoresistance. Therapeutically, narrow-spectrum antimicrobial approaches that target pro-metastatic taxa show promise for safely and selectively correcting microbiota-mediated PMN formation. In addition, faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors and anti-angiogenic therapy has yielded encouraging responses in refractory metastatic CRC by boosting anti-tumour immunity and restoring hepatic microvascular architecture.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Future research should integrate multidimensional biomarker assessment with personalised, microbiota-based therapeutic frameworks to achieve effective and durable prevention of CRC liver metastasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13270806/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147769882","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":"Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection disrupts gut and respiratory microbial communities and networks with incomplete restoration after two months of treatment.","authors":"Sohyoung Won, Juyong Hong, Heebal Kim, Junho Lee, Young Chun Ko, Bumhee Yang, Sun-Hyung Kim, Seok Shin Koh, Jeeyeon Park, Gee Oh Guak, Gyeong In Lee, Youngeun Choi, Seung Heon Lee, Gisu Kang, Seoae Cho, Hyejin Kim","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00834-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00834-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), remains a major global health concern. Respiratory infections can influence the gut microbiome, and vice versa, through communication between the gut and respiratory microbiome—the gut–lung axis. Yet how TB infection and treatment relate to this connection remains unclear. To investigate the associations between TB and gut–respiratory microbiome interactions, we analyzed paired gut and respiratory samples from patients with TB at baseline (TB-0) and two months after treatment (TB-trt), along with matched healthy controls (HC). Microbial communities were profiled at the species level, and integrated gut–respiratory microbial networks were constructed and compared. MTB infection altered both microbial composition and network structure. Patients with TB showed lower levels of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)–producing species and higher levels of inflammation-associated taxa. Consistent trends emerged in the gut–respiratory networks: SCFA-producing species were central in the networks of HC and persisted in TB-trt, whereas inflammation-associated species occupied influential positions in TB-0 and remained, though less prominently, after treatment. The size and complexity of the networks also differed across groups. TB infection was accompanied by broad disruptions of the gut–respiratory microbiome, and treatment resulted in only partial restoration. Species associated with these shifts, including Bifidobacterium spp. and Sutterella wadsworthensis, have the potential to serve as TB biomarkers or as adjuncts to improve treatment outcomes, with further experimental validation required.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13107742/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147698738","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":"Detection and genetic characterization of the GP60 Gene of Cryptosporidium parvum isolated from HIV⁺/AIDS patients - Kurdistan Province, Northwest Iran: predominance of subtype IId.","authors":"Fares Bahrami, Erfan Sherifi, Mohammadbagher Khademerfan, Amir Abdoli","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00829-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00829-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cryptosporidium spp. is an important intestinal protozoan parasite causing morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients, particularly those with HIV⁺/AIDS. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 161 HIV⁺/AIDS patients in Kurdistan Province, Iran, aiming to assess prevalence and genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium spp. among HIV⁺/AIDS patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Stool samples were examined microscopically and by nested PCR targeting the GP60 gene. PCR-positive samples were sequenced, and phylogenetic analyses were conducted using MEGA12 software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 161 faecal samples from HIV⁺/AIDS patients, seven (4.34%) and four (2.48%) positive samples were detected by PCR and microscopy, respectively (OR = 1.94, P = 0.536). Two factors showed a statistically significant association with a higher risk of Cryptosporidium infection, including using untreated drinking water and contact with animals. Patients using untreated water had a 30% infection rate, compared to 2.6% for those using purified water (OR = 15.19, P = 0.011). Patients with animal contact had a 33.3% infection rate, compared to 3.2% for those without animal contact (OR = 14.73, P = 0.047). No significant association was found with the patient's sex or urban/rural location. All isolates belonged to the C. parvum IId subtype. Phylogenetic analyses clustered all isolates within the IId clade, which are closely related to animal-derived subtypes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The genetic similarity with previously reported animal isolates raises the possibility of zoonotic transmission; however, in the absence of animal or environmental sampling, this hypothesis remains speculative and should be interpreted with caution. These findings highlight the need for screening of Cryptosporidium among vulnerable populations, especially HIV⁺/AIDS patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13130417/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147672622","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":"Microbiome/transforming growth factor-β axis as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for MASLD in Egyptian patients.","authors":"Amani E Marawan, Omar Ahmed Elmetwally, Shimaa A Abass, Mohamed M Marwan, Mohamed M A El-Sokkary, Laila A Eissa","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00826-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00826-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has emerged as the leading cause of chronic hepatic disorders worldwide. Gut microbiome dysbiosis influences MASLD pathogenesis via the gut–liver axis. This study investigated gut microbiome alterations, biochemical markers, and their diagnostic potential in MASLD. A case control study included 60 Egyptian adults (30 MASLD patients, 30 healthy controls) who underwent comprehensive biochemical profiling and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of selected gut microbiota from fecal samples. Antioxidant biomarkers, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA), were measured spectrophotometrically, while mRNA expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was assessed by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). The fibrosis index (FIB-4) was calculated, and diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. MASLD patients displayed marked microbiome dysbiosis, with significant enrichment of Bacteroides (p < 0.001) and depletion of Bifidobacterium (p < 0.005). TGF-β expression was significantly elevated (p < 0.001) and demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.956; sensitivity = 100%; specificity = 83.3%). MDA, FIB-4, and NRF2 showed moderate accuracy, while Bacteroides (AUC = 0.744) and Bifidobacterium (AUC = 0.683) also provided discriminatory value. Bacteroides correlated positively with total cholesterol, whereas Bifidobacterium correlated inversely. Collectively, elevated TGF-β, increased Bacteroides, and reduced Bifidobacterium highlight promising diagnostic and therapeutic targets in MASLD. These findings emphasize the mechanistic role of the gut–liver axis and support microbiome-informed roles for early detection and management.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13088655/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147662394","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":"Bacterial and fungal biomarkers in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): trans-kingdom interactions, Blastocystis carriage, and enterotype-succinotype stratification.","authors":"Ayman A El-Badry, Abdulaziz A Al-Quorain, Nehal Hosin, Mark van der Giezen, Yohannes Seyoum","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00819-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00819-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The gut microbiome, encompassing bacteria, fungi, and protists, is integral to gastrointestinal (GI) health and disease. While bacterial dysbiosis is well documented in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), fungal contributions and bacterial-fungal interactions remain underexplored, particularly in non-Western populations. We profiled bacterial (16S rRNA) and fungal (ITS) communities from stool samples of Saudi participants with IBS, ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn’s disease (CD), and controls. Analyses incorporated bacterial enterotypes, succinotypes, and Blastocystis carriage to explore ecological and metabolic stratification. Differences in community composition were largely explained by GI disorder, host factors, enterotype, and Blastocystis carriage, accounting for 1–9% of bacterial and fungal variation. IBS patients exhibited increased bacterial richness and evenness, whereas UC and CD displayed stronger fungal dysbiosis. Enterotyping identified two Bacteroides-dominant clusters: Bact1 (with Faecalibacterium, Alistipes) and Bact2 (enriched in Escherichia-Shigella, Streptococcus), with Bact2 linked to reduced diversity and elevated calprotectin. Succinotyping distinguished Dialister-dominant (D-type) and Phascolarctobacterium-dominant (P-type) communities; UC was enriched in fragile, bridge-dependent D-type networks, in contrast to resilient, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)- and H2S-producing P-type networks. Blastocystis was detected in 48% of participants (mainly subtypes 1 (ST1) and ST3). It was associated with enrichment of butyrate-producing bacteria (Roseburia, Anaerobutyricum, Butyribacter) and distinct fungal genera, with subtype-specific signatures (ST1 enriched in Alistipes, ST3 in Escherichia-Shigella). Disease-associated biomarkers included UC-linked depletion of butyrate producers and enrichment of Cutibacterium, Comamonas, and Dialister; depletion of Clostridia UCG-014 in CD; and enrichment of fermentative fungi (Candida, Meyerozyma) and bacteria (Coprococcus, Catenibacterium) in IBS. Cross-domain networks were resilient and modular in controls and IBS but fragile in UC and intermediate in CD. These findings highlight trans-kingdom interactions and Blastocystis carriage as ecological features of the gut microbiome in IBS and IBD, with enterotype-succinotype stratification offering complementary biomarkers for disease classification in a non-Western cohort.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13091276/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147662316","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":"Recurrent Campylobacter jejuni bacteraemia with independent acquisition of carbapenem resistance in three ST9611 isolates: a case series in immunocompromised hosts.","authors":"Jinghao Nicholas Ngiam, Matthew Chung Yi Koh, Grace Tung, Fengjie Tang, Jeanette Teo, Ka Lip Chew","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00833-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00833-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis but rarely causes bacteraemia, except in immunocompromised hosts. Carbapenem resistance in C. jejuni remains uncommon, and the clinical evolution of resistance during infection has not been well described.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We report a case series of three immunocompromised adults with recurrent C. jejuni bacteraemia at a tertiary hospital in Singapore between 2024 and 2025.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All three patients had underlying haematologic or autoimmune disorders associated with hypogammaglobulinaemia. Each experienced multiple episodes of C. jejuni bacteraemia despite prolonged carbapenem therapy, with isolates showing stepwise increases in meropenem minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) from ≤ 0.05 mg/L to as high as 16 mg/L. No abscesses or drainable foci were identified radiologically. Two patients received regular intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) replacement after low serum IgG levels were detected. In all cases, recurrences ceased after introduction of eravacycline therapy, with or without concurrent oral gentamicin, in combination with IVIG support. One patient later died of progression of underlying lymphoma.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This series demonstrates the potential for acquired carbapenem resistance to develop in C. jejuni during recurrent bacteraemia in immunocompromised hosts. Eravacycline, alongside immunoglobulin replacement, may represent a viable therapeutic option in such refractory infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13220455/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147645012","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":"Association of Helicobacter pylori with Candida albicans enhances fungal virulence and stress tolerance.","authors":"Jianchao Sun, Qing Luo, Tingxiu Yang, Xiaoli Xu, Tingting Luo, Huifeng Jian, Xianli Chen, Guzhen Cui, Zhenghong Chen","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00831-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00831-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Bacterial associations with fungal hosts are increasingly recognized as common rather than exceptional. Among these interactions, Candida spp. and Helicobacter pylori are of particular interest, as evidence suggests that Candida may serve as a potential host for H. pylori, facilitating its persistence and dissemination. Although interactions between Candida spp. and members of the bacterial microbiota-particularly H. pylori-are increasingly recognized for their role in modulating microbial ecology and influencing pathological outcomes in the host, the impact of H. pylori on Candida albicans remains poorly characterized. Whether this interaction alters the biological behavior or pathogenic potential of Candida spp. remains poorly understood. In this study, C. albicans strains CacoHp, which were detected to be positive for H. pylori-specific genes, were generated through co-culture, and the effects of this bacterial-fungal interaction on tolerance and virulence were investigated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Co-culture with H. pylori S7 and C. albicans SC5314 yielded Hp-positive C. albicans CacoHp. Compared with the parental strain SC5314, CacoHp exhibited increased tolerance to antifungal agents, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and H₂O₂; enhanced inhibition of GES-1 cell proliferation; elevated aspartic protease secretion; and increased hyphal formation. Proteomic and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses indicated upregulation of ergosterol transport (SNQ2) and vacuolar ATPase (VMA8) pathways, and enhanced stress tolerance. In mice, CacoHp induced a stronger inflammatory response and more severe gastric tissue damage than the SC5314 strain.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Co-culture with H. pylori generates C. albicans strains CacoHp, which were detected to be positive for H. pylori-specific genes, that exhibit enhanced chemical stress tolerance and increased virulence. This study first revealed the influence of H. pylori on Candida phenotypes, further supporting the clinical relevance of their interaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13220638/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147645064","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":"Interpreting probiotic and combination-therapy studies in Blastocystis.","authors":"Anastasios D Tsaousis, C Rune Stensvold, Eleni Gentekaki","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00818-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00818-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Interest in probiotic-based adjuncts to anti-protozoal therapy is justified, particularly where clinical responses to metronidazole are inconsistent. However, claims in the Blastocystis literature are frequently weakened by suboptimal design and reporting problems that make results difficult to interpret, reproduce, or translate. Here, we discuss a recently published Gut Pathogens study evaluating metronidazole, Lactobacillus probiotics, and combination therapy in vitro and in a mouse model. The core idea is plausible, but the paper illustrates recurring pitfalls that risk misleading readers: internal inconsistencies between the abstract and methods in dosing and concentrations, probiotic experiments without controls to separate parasite-specific effects from culture chemistry (vehicle and pH effects), reliance on microscopy-only burden estimates without molecular confirmation, and immunostaining results that appear internally contradictory and methodologically unclear. These issues matter because probiotic interventions can alter pH, redox status, nutrient availability, and immune status independently of any direct antiparasitic activity. Without appropriate controls, apparent \"synergy\" can be an artefact. We outline a minimum set of controls and reporting items that would make similar studies interpretable, including in vitro excipient- and pH-matched controls, uninfected intervention arms in vivo, blinded scoring, quantitative parasite burden as assessed by qPCR, and standard immunostaining controls. A community-wide emphasis on these basics would improve reproducibility, reduce overinterpretation, and accelerate progress toward genuine mechanistic understanding of Blastocystis in the gut ecosystem.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13047809/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147608667","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":"Surfactin from Bacillus subtilis 1-4 disrupts the cell membrane of zoonotic Staphylococcus intermedius in vitro and maintains gut microbiota community in urban pigeons.","authors":"Jia-Ho Shiu, Bo-Chen Huang, Hui-Jye Chen, Yo-Chia Chen","doi":"10.1186/s13099-026-00830-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13099-026-00830-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Urban pigeons frequently carry zoonotic, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus spp. and are increasingly recognized as reservoirs of multidrug-resistant (MDR) gut pathogens with One Health implications. Probiotic Bacillus strains and their lipopeptide products, such as surfactin, are promising antibiotic-sparing alternatives, but their in vivo effects on host gut microbiota and pathogen carriage in apparently healthy birds remain poorly characterized.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>To explore alternative antimicrobial strategies, Bacillus subtilis 1-4 was isolated from soil and shown to produce surfactin, a potent antimicrobial peptide. In vitro, surfactin exhibited bactericidal activity against S. aureus and S. intermedius by compromising membrane integrity. To evaluate its in vivo effects, pigeons (Columba livia) were treated with surfactin for seven days, and changes in their gut microbiota were characterized using full-length 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. While microbial α- and β-diversity remained largely unchanged, the surfactin-treated microbiota displayed enhanced compositional stability relative to controls.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings support surfactin's potential as a targeted antimicrobial agent with minimal disruption to the host gut microbiota.</p>","PeriodicalId":12833,"journal":{"name":"Gut Pathogens","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13397749/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147591694","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}