Airway immunometabolic responses during pulmonary bacterial and viral infections

Airway infections caused by viral and bacterial pathogens pose a significant threat to human health, with the COVID-19 pandemic serving as a stark reminder of their detrimental impact. This review explores the critical role of metabolism in determining the outcome of respiratory infections. It covers fundamental concepts in immunometabolism and details how common pathogens exploit the host metabolism to dysregulate immune responses or evade immune clearance. We further consider how immune-signaling metabolites can directly drive pathogen evolution, emphasizing the importance of a better understanding of host-pathogen metabolic interactions in developing effective new therapies.