Persistent intracellular extraintestinal microbes serve as a hidden regulatory layer of the human metaorganism (IMAGE)
Caption
Conceptual framework showing how long-term microbial persistence outside classical barrier surfaces may influence host biology through tissue residency, latency/reactivation dynamics, immune calibration, metabolic rewiring, and systemic molecular signaling. The model highlights a continuum from regulated persistence to dysregulated persistence and disease contribution. Created in BioRender. https://BioRender.com/xer29r8
Credit
Professor Chen-Yu Zhang from Nanjing University, China Image source link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44466-026-00048-y
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