Beyond bacilli: integrating the microbiome into the TB research agenda - PubMed

3 days ago

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading infectious killer, with the human microbiome influencing susceptibility, progression, and treatment outcomes.
TB-associated dysbiosis is more common in the gut than in the lung, characterized by loss of short-chain fatty acid-producing taxa and expansion of opportunistic microbes.
Findings are often confounded by factors like diet, antibiotic exposure, comorbidities, geography, and methodological variability.
Most research relies on compositional profiling, lacking insight into functional mechanisms.
The review emphasizes integrating multiomics approaches (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metabolomics) and experimental validation to uncover causal links between microbiome alterations and TB.
Potential clinical applications include microbiome-based diagnostics, prognostic indicators, and adjunctive interventions like fecal microbiota transplantation.
Key priorities include methodological standardization, confounder control, mechanistic studies, and inclusion of high-burden settings.
Integrating microbiome insights into TB research could open new avenues for precision medicine.

Hasty Briefsbeta