Macrophages can recycle nutrients and metabolites from bacteria that they phagocytose. New work is showing how this process can differ between dead and viable bacteria and the effect this distinction has on regulating immune responses and the immunometabolism of the macrophage.
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O’Carroll, S.M., O’Neill, L.A.J. Recycling dead bacteria to fuel macrophage immunometabolism. Nat Immunol 26, 529–530 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-025-02117-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-025-02117-7
