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Molecular mechanisms of co-infections

Philipp Darius Konstantin Walch1, Petr Broz2

  • 1Department of Immunobiology, University of Lausanne, Chemin des Boveresses 155, CH-1066, Epalinges, Switzerland. philipp.walch@unil.ch.

EMBO Reports
|July 4, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Co-infections worsen disease, but molecular details are unclear. This review explores pathogen interactions from epidemiology to molecular mechanisms, highlighting research needs for better treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Co-infections often lead to more severe pathologies than single infections.
  • A significant knowledge gap exists between clinical observations and the molecular mechanisms driving co-infection outcomes.
  • Understanding pathogen-host-pathogen interactions is crucial for advancing infectious disease research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and synthesize current literature on co-infections across multiple scales.
  • To identify and discuss molecular interaction points between co-infecting pathogens.
  • To highlight the need for further research into the complex interplay of co-infections.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing data from epidemiological, clinical, and molecular studies.
  • Focus on identified molecular interaction points and their generalizability.
  • Extrapolation from single-pathogen studies where necessary to understand co-infection dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Co-infections impact disease at epidemiological, clinical, tissue-specific, cellular, and molecular levels.
  • Specific molecular interaction points between pathogens are beginning to be identified.
  • Systematic research across different scales of co-infection impact remains scarce.

Conclusions:

  • Further research into the host-pathogen-pathogen interface is critical.
  • Understanding co-infection networks can illuminate single-pathogen infections.
  • Advances in this area may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for infectious diseases.
Keywords:
Co-infectionHost–pathogen InteractionsImmune ResponseSystems Biology

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