Enteric-colonized <i>Cronobacter</i> spp. can disrupt the central nervous system without translocation across the host barriers.

Sleep health notes

Sleep health notes will be added by the Sleepatch editorial team.

中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为失眠研究、睡眠质量改善、昼夜节律等高价值睡眠研究添加中文说明。

Original abstract

<i>Cronobacter sakazakii</i> is an opportunistic foodborne pathogen known to cause severe neonatal infections. However, its subclinical effects on human health remain largely unexplored. Here, we report that intestinal colonization by <i>Cronobacter</i> is potentially correlated with human neurobehavioral alterations in the absence of bacterial translocation across host barriers. Analysis of fecal microbiota from the children in GUSTO cohort revealed that <i>Cronobacter</i> abundance was significantly and positively correlated with their emotional reactivity and affective problem scores, suggesting an association between gut <i>Cronobacter</i> colonization and emotional dysfunction. Using a zebrafish larvae model, we demonstrated that enteric colonization by <i>C. sakazakii</i> ATCC 25944 triggered a distinctive bending phenotype and locomotor instability, indicative of central nervous system (CNS) disturbance. Multi-omics profiling revealed upregulation of genes related to circadian rhythm (e.g., <i>per2, nr1d1, nr1d2</i>) and neuropsychiatric markers (<i>hint1</i>), alongside metabolic dysregulation involving lipid classes linked to neurodegenerative stress. Random mutagenesis coupled with whole-genome sequencing identified modifier variants in genes associated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis and fimbrial adhesion, which attenuated the neurotoxic phenotype. LPS isolated from wild-type <i>C. sakazakii</i>, but not from mutants, reproduced the CNS impairment phenotype, highlighting its crucial virulence role. Collectively, our findings provide the first evidence that enteric <i>Cronobacter</i> colonization may affect human emotional development via gut-derived LPS signaling, emphasizing its underestimated role in the gut-brain axis and neurobehavioral health.

Links and sources

• Official / arXiv page

Comments