Publication Name	World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Manuscript ID	119031
Country	India

Category	Infectious Diseases
Manuscript Type	Opinion Review
Article Title	Beyond the Gut microbe: rethinking infection, microbiome harmony, and the one-health continuum
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Sumit Rai and Prasan Kumar Panda
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Prasan Kumar Panda, Professor, Internal Medicine (ID Division), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Room No. 409, College Block, Rishikesh 249203, Uttarākhand, India. motherprasanna@rediffmail.com
Key Words	Microbiome; Pathobiome; Diagnostic stewardship; One Health; Pathogen identification
Core Tip	Advances in culture and sequencing have expanded microbial detection, but presence does not equal pathogenicity. Many infections reflect disruption of the human microbiome rather than invasion by a novel pathogen. Misinterpretation of isolates drives antimicrobial misuse, resistance, and ecological harm. This opinion proposes an eight-question, clinically grounded framework to distinguish pathogens from non-pathogens by integrating host site and response, ecological context, contamination assessment, and transparent reporting. Applying this approach aligns infectious-disease practice with diagnostic stewardship, one health principles, and preservation of microbial harmony from individual patients to planetary health.
Citation	Rai S, Panda PK. Beyond the gut microbe: Rethinking infection, microbiome harmony, and the one-health continuum. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2026; In press

Received	2026-01-19 02:38
Peer-Review Started	2026-01-19 02:41
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-02-12 08:29
Return for Revision	2026-02-12 08:29
Revised	2026-02-25 07:09
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-05-13 02:42
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-05-13 07:09
Articles in Press	2026-05-13 07:09
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	2150-5349 (online)
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