Adaptive metabolic strategies of intracellular bacterial pathogens

, are analyzed, with a focus on mechanisms of metabolic reprogramming (the alteration of cellular metabolic pathways in response to environmental cues, such as infection or stress, which allows the pathogen to adapt its metabolic state to support survival, replication, and virulence within the host), stress tolerance (refers to a pathogen's ability to survive and function under harsh environmental conditions, such as oxidative stress, nutrient scarcity, and antimicrobial exposure), and lifecycle transitions (refer to the changes in a pathogen's developmental or replication stages, such as switching from active growth to a dormant or persistent state during infection). Finally, the review considers how these metabolic strategies intersect with antimicrobial resistance and highlights the potential of targeting host-pathogen metabolic interactions for the development of novel interventions, including host-directed therapies (HDTs).