感染性疾病是一个全球公共卫生问题，全世界范围内新发和再发感染性疾病呈上升趋势。因此，感染性疾病的预防和治疗仍然是面临的重大挑战。胆汁酸是宿主和微生物的常见代谢物，这些宿主和微生物在控制脂质、葡萄糖和能量的代谢方面发挥着重要作用。胆汁酸在历史上曾经作为一线有价值的治疗药剂，用于治疗相关的代谢和肝胆疾病。值得注意的是，胆汁酸是牛黄和熊胆的主要活性成分，而牛黄和熊胆作为常见的传统中药，具有清热、解毒和疏风解痉的疗效。近年来，胆汁酸在治疗感染性疾病方面的良好表现已经引起了科学界的注意。本文首次对胆汁酸在治疗和预防感染性疾病方面的生物活性、可能机制、生产路线以及潜在应用进行综述。与之前的综述相比，我们对现有的关于胆汁酸在治疗病原微生物（病原微生物是导致全球性发病和死亡的主要原因）所引起的感染性疾病相关的研究进行了全面的总结。此外，为了确保胆汁酸以可负担的价格进行稳定供应，有必要阐明胆汁酸在体内的生物合成，这将帮助科学家们解释胆汁酸的累积，并发现如何通过化学合成、生物合成和化学-酶法合成的方式对不同的胆汁酸进行改造。最后，我们探索本领域目前面临的挑战，并为以胆汁酸为基础的药物和胆汁酸的可持续生产推荐开发策略。目前的研究表明，胆汁酸是一种治疗感染性疾病的潜在的新颖治疗药剂，并能以可持续的方式进行人工合成。

Infectious diseases are a global public health problem, with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases on the rise worldwide. Therefore, their prevention and treatment are still major challenges. Bile acids are common metabolites in both hosts and microorganisms that play a significant role in controlling the metabolism of lipids, glucose, and energy. Bile acids have historically been utilized as first-line, valuable therapeutic agents for related metabolic and hepatobiliary diseases. Notably, bile acids are the major active ingredients of cow bezoar and bear bile, which are commonly used traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) with the therapeutic effects of clearing heat, detoxification, and relieving wind and spasm. In recent years, the promising performance of bile acids against infectious diseases has attracted attention from the scientific community. This paper reviews for the first time the biological activities, possible mechanisms, production routes, and potential applications of bile acids in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Compared with previous reviews, we comprehensively summarize existing studies on the use of bile acids against infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms that are leading causes of global morbidity and mortality. In addition, to ensure a stable supply of bile acids at affordable prices, it is necessary to clarify the biosynthesis of bile acids in vivo, which will assist scientists in elucidating the accumulation of bile acids and discovering how to engineer various bile acids by means of chemosynthesis, biosynthesis, and chemoenzymatic synthesis. Finally, we explore the current challenges in the field and recommend a development strategy for bile-acid-based drugs and the sustainable production of bile acids. The presented studies suggest that bile acids are potential novel therapeutic agents for managing infectious diseases and can be artificially synthesized in a sustainable way.