Pathobiont
A pathobiont is an organism that is native to the host's microbiome that under certain environmental or genetic changes can become pathogenic and induce disease.[1]
Pathobionts differ from opportunistic pathogens in the sense that they are normally native to the microbiome, where opportunistic pathogens are acquired from outside that microbiome.[2]
Etymology
[edit]The term was originally coined in 2008 by Sarkis Mazmanian to describe Helicobacter hepaticus and its ability to cause colitis under certain environmental conditions.[3]
The term pathobiont had mixed reception among the microbiology field. The main argument against using the term is that some bacteria labelled as pathobionts also exhibit beneficial effects to hosts under normal conditions.[1] The notion that their pathogenesis is tied to environmental or genetic changes from a perceived normal state would point to a firm understanding of a normal gut microbiome, which can vary drastically.[1] Arguers against the term state all bacteria have metabolism that are environmentally dependent, and even symbionts have been shown to exhibit deleterious clinical effects under certain conditions.[1] The argument has led to the development of a proposed term, pathogenic potential, to describe a microbe's ability to cause disease.[4] Both terms are currently used within the field.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Jochum, Lara; Stecher, Bärbel (October 2020). "Label or Concept – What Is a Pathobiont?". Trends in Microbiology. 28 (10): 789–792. doi:10.1016/j.tim.2020.04.011. ISSN 0966-842X. PMID 32376073. S2CID 218532205.
- ^ Chow, Janet; Tang, Haiqing; Mazmanian, Sarkis K. (August 2011). "Pathobionts of the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Inflammatory Disease". Current Opinion in Immunology. 23 (4): 473–480. doi:10.1016/j.coi.2011.07.010. ISSN 0952-7915. PMC 3426444. PMID 21856139.
- ^ Mazmanian, Sarkis K.; Round, June L.; Kasper, Dennis L. (May 2008). "A microbial symbiosis factor prevents intestinal inflammatory disease". Nature. 453 (7195): 620–625. Bibcode:2008Natur.453..620M. doi:10.1038/nature07008. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 18509436. S2CID 205213521.
- ^ Casadevall, Arturo (February 22, 2017). Alspaugh, J. Andrew (ed.). "The Pathogenic Potential of a Microbe". mSphere. 2 (1). doi:10.1128/mSphere.00015-17. ISSN 2379-5042. PMC 5322344. PMID 28251180.