Murine Coinfection with tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2
Coinfection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and SARS-CoV-2 (SCV2) represents a major but underexplored global health challenge. Our study reveals that preexisting M. tuberculosis infection could reshapes host immune responses to SCV2 in a phase-dependent manner. The SCV2 superinfection during active TB amplifies mortality and brain invasion, whereas during chronic TB it elicits modest protection and stable viral control. Spatial transcriptomics identify a dynamic reprogramming of lung immunity, with SCV2 driving a premature humoral shift that may hinder adaptive maturation. These findings uncover the crosstalk between established bacterial infection and viral superinfection, suggesting that immune context dictates the outcome of the coinfection, offering new directions for vaccine and therapeutic development against both pathogens.