Microbes in Health and Disease: Deciphering the crosstalk between Immunity, Metabolism, Virulence and Antimicrobial Resistance

Health and disease represent interconnected physiological states that exist along a dynamic continuum of homeostasis. This equilibrium is maintained through complex interactions between the host and its microbial communities and can be disrupted by microbial, dietary, environmental, or host-derived perturbations. Increasing evidence has established microbes as key regulators of this balance. While commensal microorganisms maintain immune homeostasis, metabolic function, epithelial barrier integrity, and tissue health, pathogenic microorganisms drive dysbiosis, infection, inflammation, immune dysregulation, and disease progression. Together with lifestyle and environmental factors, the bidirectional crosstalk between the host, commensal microbiota, and pathogens governs the transition between health and disease.Microbial metabolism has emerged as a fundamental determinant of host–microbe interactions. Metabolites produced by both commensal and pathogenic microorganisms act as signaling molecules that regulate host immunity, cellular functions, bacterial virulence, and metabolic pathways. Host diet and nutrient availability further shape microbial metabolic activity and the composition of the microbiome, thereby influencing disease susceptibility and progression. As antimicrobial resistance continues to challenge conventional treatment strategies for infectious diseases, understanding the metabolic crosstalk between host and microbes may pave the way for the development of alternative therapeutic strategies. Although advances in systems biology have transformed our understanding of host–microbe interactions, the mechanisms linking microbial metabolism, host physiology, and disease remain incompletely understood. Technologies such as dual RNA sequencing, quantitative proteomics, metabolomics, and single-cell analyses now enable simultaneous investigation of host and microbial responses during infection and homeostasis. These approaches have revealed novel mechanisms of pathogen adaptation, immune regulation, microbial persistence, and host susceptibility, providing an integrated view of the molecular networks governing health and disease. Combining multi-omics technologies with functional studies is accelerating the discovery of biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and precision interventions for infectious, inflammatory, and metabolic disorders. Integrating systems-level biology with studies on microbial metabolism, immune homeostasis, and antimicrobial resistance will provide a comprehensive understanding of host–microbe interactions and facilitate the identification of biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and microbiome-based interventions for infectious, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases. Expected outcomes include an enhanced understanding of how commensal microbes and pathogens shape the dynamic balance between health and disease through interactions with the host immune system, metabolism, and diet. We welcome studies that aim to advance knowledge of host–microbe metabolic and immune crosstalk, uncover mechanisms underlying disease susceptibility and progression, and foster the development of novel, precision, and next-generation therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat infectious, inflammatory, metabolic, and antimicrobial-resistant diseases.We look forward to submissions of original research articles, reviews, mini reviews, that include experimental models, methodology tools, multi-omics analysis, therapeutic strategies, and other areas related to the topics listed here. • Commensal and pathogenic microbes in health and disease: Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the role of beneficial microorganisms, opportunistic microbes, and emerging antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in maintaining homeostasis or driving disease pathogenesis. • Mucosal immunity and immune homeostasis in infection: Host–microbe interactions that shape immune development, mucosal homeostasis, and innate and adaptive immune responses, determining immune tolerance, inflammation, and susceptibility or resistance to infectious diseases.• Microbial metabolites and metabolic interactions: Roles of host-, commensal-, and pathogen-derived metabolites in host signaling, microbial competition, metabolism, virulence, and disease pathogenesis.• Diet–microbe–immune crosstalk: Diet-mediated interactions between commensal microbes, pathogens, and the immune system in health, infection, inflammation, and metabolic disorders.• High-throughput mapping of host-pathogen interactions: Application of dual RNA sequencing, quantitative proteomics, and multi-omics integration to characterise the molecular landscape of infection, including pathogen adaptation, virulence factor expression, and host transcriptional and proteomic responses during infection. • Microbiome-based therapeutics and precision interventions: Development of microbiota-targeted therapeutic strategies, including microbial metabolites, probiotics, engineered microbes, microbiome modulation, and precision approaches for the prevention and treatment of infectious, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases. • Alternative therapeutics to antibiotics: Development and evaluation of non-traditional antimicrobial strategies, including bacteriophage therapy, antimicrobial peptides, anti-virulence compounds and host-directed therapies to combat the emerging antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. Topic editors: Preeti Garai, RITIKA CHATTERJEE Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84175/microbes-in-health-and-disease-deciphering-the-crosstalk-between-immunity-metabolism-virulence-and-antimicrobial-resistance