Fungal dysbiosis: immunity and interactions at mucosal barriers.

TitleFungal dysbiosis: immunity and interactions at mucosal barriers.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsIliev, ID, Leonardi, I
JournalNat Rev Immunol
Volume17
Issue10
Pagination635-646
Date Published2017 Oct
ISSN1474-1741
KeywordsAnimals, Dysbiosis, Fungi, Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Humans, Immunity, Mucosal, Skin, Symbiosis
Abstract

Fungi and mammals share a co-evolutionary history and are involved in a complex web of interactions. Studies focused on commensal bacteria suggest that pathological changes in the microbiota, historically known as dysbiosis, are at the root of many inflammatory diseases of non-infectious origin. However, the importance of dysbiosis in the fungal community - the mycobiota - was only recently acknowledged to have a pathological role, as novel findings have suggested that mycobiota disruption can have detrimental effects on host immunity. Fungal dysbiosis and homeostasis are dynamic processes that are probably more common than actual fungal infections, and therefore constantly shape the immune response. In this Review, we summarize specific mycobiota patterns that are associated with fungal dysbiosis, and discuss how mucosal immunity has evolved to distinguish fungal infections from dysbiosis and how it responds to these different conditions. We propose that gut microbiota dysbiosis is a collective feature of complex interactions between prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities that can affect immunity and that can influence health and disease.

DOI10.1038/nri.2017.55
Alternate JournalNat. Rev. Immunol.
PubMed ID28604735
PubMed Central IDPMC5724762
Grant ListK99 DK098310 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States
R00 DK098310 / DK / NIDDK NIH HHS / United States
R21 AI123819 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States