The lung microbiome, vitamin D, and the tuberculous granuloma: A balance triangle.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2019

Keywords

JGM

JAX Source

Microb Pathog 2019; 131:158-163

Volume

131

First Page

158

Last Page

163

ISSN

1096-1208

PMID

30953746

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2019.03.041

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has the extraordinary ability to persist for decades within granulomas in the human host. These histopathological structures involved in both protection and pathogenesis, are subject to various influences from the host systemically and through micro-niche environments. Despite the fact that vitamin D (VD) has a key role in macrophage activation and mycobacterial clearance in the early stages of Mtb infection, the overall role of VD in granuloma maintenance or functionality has been scarcely studied. VD deficiency has long time been known to influence on gut microbiota composition, and recent studies have shown that it can also impact on respiratory microbiome. The human microbiota plays an important role in pathogen colonization resistance, and it has been proposed to play a potential role in TB pathogenesis. In this article, we have reviewed current knowledge on the interaction between VD, the lung microbiome and TB, and propose mechanisms by which the tuberculous granuloma's outcome could be modulated by these two factors. The determinants of the final fate of lung granulomas are still unclear, and deciphering the underlying drivers of Mtb infection outcome within those structures is of critical importance.

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