Volatilomes of human infection

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• The human volatilome, composed of volatile emissions from the body and its microbiomes, changes significantly upon infection.
• These volatile metabolites can serve as non-invasive biomarkers for detecting infection and associated microbial dysbiosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how infections alter volatile metabolite production.
• To examine analytical workflows in microbial and clinical volatilomics.
• To highlight the importance of integrating microbial and clinical data for understanding volatile signatures.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on microbial and clinical volatilomics.
• Analysis of workflows linking microbial studies with clinical investigations.
• Identification of metabolic species and pathways responsible for volatile signatures.

Main Results:

• Infections induce significant shifts in the human volatilome.
• Volatilomics offers a promising avenue for non-invasive biomarker discovery.
• Integrated microbial-clinical approaches are crucial for robust signature elucidation.

Conclusions:

• Linking microbial and clinical volatilomics enhances infection diagnosis and monitoring.
• Emerging opportunities exist for developing targeted, clinically useful volatilomic workflows.
• Further research can expedite current practices in infection detection and management.