Microbiota and Tuberculosis: A Potential Role of Probiotics, and Postbiotics

Yue Liu,Changxin Wu,Jiaqi Wang

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.626254

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis attacking the lungs and other organs, is one of the most common infectious disease worldwide. According to the WHO's 2020 report, a quarter of the world's population were infected with M. tuberculosis, and ~1.4 million people died of TB. Therefore, TB is a significant public health concern, which requires cost-effective strategies for prevention and treatment. The microbiota has been considered as a “forgotten organ” and a complex dynamic ecosystem, which plays a significant role in many physiological processes, and its dysbiosis is closely associated with infectious disease. Recently, a few studies have indicated associations between TB and microbiota. This review summarizes studies concerning the alterations of the gut and respiratory microbiota in TB, and their relationship with host susceptibility to M. tuberculosis infection, indicating that microbiota signatures in different stages in TB progression could be considered as biomarkers for TB diagnosis and control. In addition, the potential role of probiotics and postbiotics in TB treatment was discussed.

Highlights

Reviewed by: Julio Villena, CONICET Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA), Argentina Keith R
The gut-lung axis plays an important role in TB prevention and treatment outcome, through affecting host immune response against M. tuberculosis
Several studies have suggested that microbiota could play a significant role in TB pathogenesis and treatment efficiency, the dysbiosis of microbiota may result in adverse impacts on immune response to M. tuberculosis infection, a more serious development of granulomatous, and decreased efficiencies of anti-TB drugs

Summary

Introduction

Reviewed by: Julio Villena, CONICET Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA), Argentina Keith R. In a cross-sectional research study, Hu et al [12] characterized the gut microbiota profile in Chinese TB patients and found that M. tuberculosis infection led to a decreased α diversity, which was mainly associated with alterations in Bacteroides relative abundance.

Results

Conclusion