The Human Mucosal Mycobiome and Fungal Community Interactions

Abstract

With the advent of high-throughput sequencing techniques, the astonishing extent and complexity of the microbial communities that reside within and upon us has begun to become clear. Moreover, with advances in computing and modelling methods, we are now beginning to grasp just how dynamic our interactions with these communities are. The diversity of both these communities and their interactions—both within the community and with us—are dependent on a multitude of factors, both microbial- and host-mediated. Importantly, it is becoming clear that shifts in the makeup of these communities, or their responses, are linked to different disease states. Although much of the work to define these interactions and links has been investigating bacterial communities, recently there has been significant growth in the body of knowledge, indicating that shifts in the host fungal communities (mycobiome) are also intimately linked to disease status. In this review, we will explore these associations, along with the interactions between fungal communities and their human and microbial habitat, and discuss the future applications of systems biology in determining their role in disease status.

Gut Microbiota beyond Bacteria—Mycobiome, Virome, Archaeome, and Eukaryotic Parasites in IBD

“…In contrast to the vast number of studies on the bacterial communities of the microbiota conducted in the last decades, the fungal constituents of the microbiota, the mycobiome, received much less attention. Still, recent research acknowledged human mycobiome as a dynamic community, responsive to environmental and pathophysiological changes, and playing a vital role in host metabolism, as well as maintenance of host immune homeostasis [3,[8][9][10].…”

New Insights in Candida albicans Innate Immunity at the Mucosa: Toxins, Epithelium, Metabolism, and Beyond

“…Candida is the most abundant fungal genus in healthy oral and gut mycobiota, being both commensal and pathogenic depending on the environmental conditions (Witherden et al, 2017). Although significant work has been carried out over the years investigating host and fungal responses and functions during infection, little is known about the functions and biology of these species when they are part of the commensal microbiota.…”

“…Humans host a myriad of different microbial species that inhabit the various body surfaces. This includes fungal species such as Candida spp., a major component of the mycobiome of ∼70% of the healthy population (Schulze and Sonnenborn, 2009;Witherden et al, 2017). However, these species are pathobionts, capable of becoming pathogenic when local environmental conditions change (e.g., dampened host immunity, dysbiotic microbiota, changing pH/nutrients).…”

On Commensalism of Candida

“…As mentioned above, Candida species are acquired during or near birth [4,5] and become a significant part of the host mycobiome [1][2][3][27][28][29][30]. In order to cement their place in the host, they must be able to adhere to host epithelial cells and mucosal surfaces, resist and interact with host immune responses, and compete or cooperate with other members of the host microbiota.…”