ArticleNPJ biofilms and microbiomes2026
The gut microbiota mediates depression-like behaviors in mice with chronic Echinococcus multilocularis infection.
Article in NPJ biofilms and microbiomes, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Alveolar echinococcosis (AE), a chronic parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus multilocularis (E. multilocularis), remains poorly characterized with respect to central nervous system (CNS) involvement, and its long-term effects on mental health have not been systematically investigated. In this study, we established a BALB/c mouse model of chronic E. multilocularis infection and applied an integrative framework combining behavioral assessments, histomorphological analyses (hematoxylin-eosin staining, Nissl staining, and transmission electron microscopy), cytometric bead array (CBA), and multi-omics approaches (16S rRNA sequencing, metagenomics, and untargeted metabolomics) to investigate infection-induced neuroimmune-gut microbiota interactions. Chronically infected mice exhibited pronounced depression-like behavioral phenotypes, accompanied by hippocampal neuronal nuclear membrane atrophy and disrupted microglial homeostasis. Both peripheral and central inflammatory profiling revealed elevated levels of pro-inflammatory mediators, particularly IL-6 and MCP-1, suggesting coordinated systemic immune activation and neuroimmune alterations. Notably, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from infected donors was sufficient to induce depression-like behaviors in recipient mice, supporting a contributory role of infection-associated gut microbiota alterations in behavioral abnormalities. Integrated multi-omics analyses further revealed a marked reduction in Lactobacillus abundance in infected mice, which was positively correlated with decreased levels of key metabolites within the tryptophan/5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) metabolic pathway. Collectively, these findings suggest that chronic E. multilocularis infection may be associated with depression-like behaviors through gut microbiota dysbiosis and related metabolic perturbations. This study provides initial insights into the potential mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric complications in AE and proposes a conceptual framework for future investigations into early intervention and microbiota-targeted therapeutic strategies.
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