【Aim】 The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) on the endophytic bacterial community of Pinus massoniana in latent infection stage, identifying signature endophytic bacteria in the latent infection stage of B. xylophilus and elucidating potential pathogenic mechanisms. This provides a foundation for identifying latent B. xylophilus infections and preventing pine wilt disease. 【Method】 The endophytic bacterial communities in P. massoniana were analyzed using 16S high-throughput sequencing technology. Differences in the endophytic bacterial communities of P. massoniana infested with B. xylophilus and those without were compared. The correlation between the population density of B. xylophilus and the endophytic bacteria was analyzed. 【Result】 The endophytic bacterial community of P. massoniana with latent infestation by B. xylophilus showed significant differences compared to healthy P. massoniana. Species richness increased significantly, whereas evenness and diversity showed no significant changes. Network analysis of the endophytic bacterial communities revealed a reduction in the number of species in the largest cluster, an increase in the number of clusters, and a decrease in the correlation coefficients, with a higher proportion of positive correlations. The genus with the highest abundance in P. massoniana latently infected with B. xylophilus was Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, which was significantly more abundant than in healthy P. massoniana. The core genus of the endophytic bacterial community was Altererythrobacter. The genus Mycobacterium showed a significant increase in abundance in P. massoniana latently infected with B. xylophilus and was significantly positively correlated with nematode content. It also held a core position in the endophytic bacterial community of P. massoniana latently infected with B. xylophilus. The genus with the highest abundance in healthy P. massoniana was unclassified_f__Alcaligenaceae. Its abundance decreased significantly in P. massoniana infected with B. xylophilus. The genus Exiguobacterium showed no significant difference between the two groups of samples but held a central position in the endophytic bacterial community of healthy P. massoniana and was significantly negatively correlated with the population density of B. xylophilus. 【Conclusion】 The pressure exerted by B. xylophilus in the latent stage of P. massoniana infected with B. xylophilus disrupted the stability of the endophytic bacterial community, increasing its complexity and species richness. Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia and Altererythrobacter may play assisting roles in the defense process of pine trees to pine wilt disease in the altered endophytic bacterial community. Mycobacterium may be involved in assisting B. xylophilus in harming pine trees. Alcaligenaceae and Exiguobacterium were of significant importance for the health of P. massoniana.