MINI REVIEW article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

Sec. Intestinal Microbiome

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1577108

This article is part of the Research TopicHost-Microbiota Immuno-Interactions for Personalized Microbial TherapeuticsView all 7 articles

Harnessing the Microbiome to Improve Clinical Outcomes for Cancer, Transplant, and Immunocompromised Patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Provisionally accepted
Lizbeth  Marie NievesLizbeth Marie Nieves1Alexandra  RoachAlexandra Roach2Joseph  HunterJoseph Hunter1Andrew  IslasAndrew Islas1Ariana  IslasAriana Islas1Michelle  Pina Di PalmaMichelle Pina Di Palma1*
  • 1Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
  • 2College of Medicine Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

In recent decades, there has been a growing emphasis on understanding how the architecture of the human microbiome can impact typical biological processes and patient clinical outcomes. In fact, microbiome modifications and modulations have not only been associated with impacts on general health and well-being but have also been shown to yield differences in patient responsiveness to vaccines, medications, and chemotherapeutic regimens. Much of this influence likely stems from how changes in the microbiome result in differences in microbial communities and the subsequent release of microbial-derived metabolites that can alter typical immunological processes. Understanding how microbial composition can impact patient responsiveness can be particularly important in the intensive care unit (ICU), where the efficacy of medications and treatments can result in severe patient outcomes if unsuccessful. Clinical scientists have further developed the concept of the pathobiome, a disease-promoting microbiome whose development can be associated with dysbiosis. Understanding how the microbiome and its associated components can impact patient responsiveness, especially in the ICU, must be further researched and understood. Here, we analyze what causes variances in the microbiome and pathobiome in significant immunocompromised populations, including cancer patients and transplant recipients, and how variances in the microbiome can impact patient outcomes in the ICU. Further, we detail potential future applications of how our understanding of what impacts the human microbiome during the treatment of these populations may be exploited to improve patient prognosis.

Keywords: microbiome, Dysbiosis, immunocompromised, Cancer, transplant, pathobiome, Intensive Care Unit, ICU

Received: 15 Feb 2025; Accepted: 28 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Nieves, Roach, Hunter, Islas, Islas and Di Palma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Michelle Pina Di Palma, Arizona State University, Tempe, 85281, Arizona, United States

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