The Human Mycobiome: Colonization, Composition and the Role in Health and Disease

Abstract

The mycobiome is the fungal component of the human microbial ecosystem that represents only a small part of this environment but plays an essential role in maintaining homeostasis. Colonization by fungi begins immediately after birth. The initial mycobiome is influenced by the gestational age of a newborn, birth weight, delivery method and feeding method. During a human’s life, the composition of the mycobiome is further influenced by a large number of endogenous and exogenous factors. The most important factors are diet, body weight, age, sex and antibiotic and antifungal therapy. The human mycobiome inhabits the oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, urogenital tract and skin. Its composition can influence the gut–brain axis through immune and non-immune mediated crosstalk systems. It also interacts with other commensals of the ecosystem through synergistic and antagonistic relationships. Moreover, colonization of the gut by opportunistic fungal pathogens in immunocompromised individuals can lead to clinically relevant disease states. Thus, the mycobiome represents an essential part of the microbiome associated with a variety of physiological and pathological processes. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the composition of the mycobiome in specific sites of the human body and its role in health and disease.

Modelling the Gut Fungal-Community in TIM-2 with a Microbiota from Healthy Individuals

“…Diet has an important influence on the intestinal fungi [ 8 ]. Moreover, it is a source of fungi that can pass into or even colonize the gut [ 9 ]. There are several examples that show that diet can have an influence on the gut mycobiome; for example, it was shown that mice on a high-fat diet had a different mycobiota compared to mice on a standard diet [ 10 ], and that Methanobrevibacter and Candida abundance was correlated with a high-carbohydrate diet [ 11 ].…”

The Role of the Mycobiome in Women’s Health

“…The overall microbiome, which includes the mycobiome, has been found to be critical to various aspects of human biology, including metabolism, pathogenesis, energy pathways, immunity, neurology, and health [ 1 ]. The human mycobiome, like the microbiome, is not a static system but instead highly variable throughout life, both at the intra- and inter-individual levels [ 2 , 3 ]. Colonization begins directly from birth and continues to grow and fluctuate with factors such as exercise, daily activities, nutrition, age, sex, disease, and medical therapies (especially the use of antibiotics and antifungals) [ 2 , 4 ].…”

“…The human mycobiome, like the microbiome, is not a static system but instead highly variable throughout life, both at the intra- and inter-individual levels [ 2 , 3 ]. Colonization begins directly from birth and continues to grow and fluctuate with factors such as exercise, daily activities, nutrition, age, sex, disease, and medical therapies (especially the use of antibiotics and antifungals) [ 2 , 4 ]. In this review, we will specifically focus on the role of the mycobiome in women’s health and explore the various factors and implications involved in this lesser-studied part of the human microbiome.…”

The Gut Microbiome and Its Implication in the Mucosal Digestive Disorders

“…Current studies showed that fungi are a component of the human body’s ecosystem, described as the human “mycobiome”. Similar to the bacterial and viral microbiome, the mycobiome has a variable composition shaped by several factors [ 12 ]. The presence of the mycobiome has been detected in the gut of at least 70% of healthy adults [ 13 ].…”

“…Two mycotypes can be distinguished in the gut. Mycotype 1 is defined by a high abundance of the genus Saccharomyces and also other unclassified genera, while mycotype 2 consists of the genera Penicillium , Malassezia and Mucor [ 12 ].…”