PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbes and Innate Immunity
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1584777
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring Macrophage Metabolic Adaptations to Bacterial Infection: Pathways and Immune ResponsesView all 7 articles
Lessons from cross-pathogen studies: understanding the metabolic rewiring of macrophages upon infection
Provisionally accepted
- 1Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- 2Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Bacterial infections remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally.Compounding the issue is the rise of antimicrobial-resistant strains, which limit treatment options. Macrophages play key roles in the immunity and pathogenicity of intracellular infections, such as those caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Salmonella. Recent advancements have enabled us to better understand how the host orchestrates immune responses to fight these infections and, specifically how the infected cell rewires its metabolism to face this challenge. The engagement of the host cell in specific metabolic pathways impacts cell function and behaviour, and ultimately, infection outcomes. In this perspective, we summarise key findings regarding the metabolic adaptations in macrophages induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Salmonella infections. We also explore how cross-pathogen studies can deepen our insights into infection biology to improve therapeutic design.
Keywords: Mycobacerium tuberculosis, Salmonella typhimurium, macrophage, Metabolism rewiring, Host-direct therapies
Received: 27 Feb 2025; Accepted: 26 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pérez-Toledo and Llibre Serradell. 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:
Marisol Pérez-Toledo, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Alba Llibre Serradell, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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