Microbiome alterations and host-pathogen interactions in paratuberculosis: A one health perspective

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Microbiology
• Immunology
• One Health

Background:

• Paratuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), is a chronic infection with significant economic and public health impacts.
• MAP evades host immunity and alters the gut microbiome, causing dysbiosis that worsens disease progression.
• Johne's disease (JD) serves as a paradigm for chronic infections, involving microbial imbalance, immune escape, and pathogen survival.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence on MAP-induced microbiome alterations and their impact on host-pathogen interactions, immune responses, and metabolism in ruminants.
• To explore the link between MAP infection, gut dysbiosis, and chronic inflammatory diseases across veterinary and human health (One Health approach).
• To identify diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities for microbiome-based interventions in JD.

Main Methods:

• Literature review evaluating molecular, immunological, and microbiome data on MAP infection in ruminants.
• Analysis of MAP-induced changes in microbial diversity, specific bacterial taxa, and metabolic pathways.
• Synthesis of findings within the One Health framework, connecting ruminant JD to human inflammatory bowel diseases.

Main Results:

• JD-associated dysbiosis is characterized by reduced microbial diversity, depleted butyrate producers, and enriched pro-inflammatory bacteria.
• Microbiome alterations may serve as early diagnostic signs and targets for interventions like probiotics or prebiotics.
• MAP-microbiome interactions mirror immune evasion and persistence strategies seen in other intracellular pathogens.

Conclusions:

• MAP-induced dysbiosis is central to JD pathogenesis, immune evasion, and pathogen persistence.
• Understanding these interactions offers translational opportunities for diagnosing and treating chronic inflammatory conditions in both animals and humans.
• Standardized methodologies and multi-omics approaches are needed to clarify the temporal relationship between dysbiosis and MAP infection.