Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41677726›Full record

ReviewBiology2026

Role and Mechanisms of Gut Microbiota in Infectious Diseases: Recent Evidence from Animal Models.

Tao Zeng, Linxue Zuo, Qiaorui Yu, Qiurui Wu, Zhiru Bao, Hairong Xiong, Mei Luo, Bei Li

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Tao ZengHubei Key Laboratory of Resource Utilization and Quality Control of Characteristic Crops, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China.
Linxue ZuoHubei Key Laboratory of Resource Utilization and Quality Control of Characteristic Crops, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China.
Qiaorui YuHubei Key Laboratory of Resource Utilization and Quality Control of Characteristic Crops, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China.
Qiurui WuHubei Key Laboratory of Resource Utilization and Quality Control of Characteristic Crops, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China.
Zhiru BaoHubei Key Laboratory of Resource Utilization and Quality Control of Characteristic Crops, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China.
Hairong XiongHubei Key Laboratory of Resource Utilization and Quality Control of Characteristic Crops, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China.
Mei LuoInstitute of Resource Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
Bei LiHubei Key Laboratory of Resource Utilization and Quality Control of Characteristic Crops, College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China.

Funding

Hubei Small Town Development Research Center, Hubei University of Engineering 2025K009Xiaogan Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology (Hubei Province, China) XGKJ2024010037
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Infectious diseases present persistent and complex challenges to global public health, with conventional antibiotic therapies increasingly limited by antimicrobial resistance, microbiota disruption, and adverse effects. There is a critical need to explore complementary strategies that augment host defense mechanisms without exacerbating these limitations. Accumulating evidence underscores the integral role of the gut microbiota-a diverse microbial ecosystem within the gastrointestinal tract-in regulating systemic immunity and pathogen susceptibility. This review synthesizes recent advances from animal models to delineate the multi-faceted mechanisms by which commensal microbes and their metabolites confer protection against enteric and respiratory infections. Key processes include competitive exclusion for nutrients and ecological niches, production of antimicrobial compounds, reinforcement of intestinal barrier integrity, and orchestration of local and systemic immunity via gut-lung axes. We further discuss the potential of microbiota-targeted interventions to enhance treatment efficacy and patient outcomes. By integrating mechanistic insights with translational applications, this review aims to inform the rational design of next-generation anti-infective strategies grounded in microbial ecology and host immunobiology.

Indexed as

bacterial infectionsgut-lung axisgut microbiotainfectious diseasesviral infection

Identifiers

PMID41677726
PMCPMC12897338

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.