Abstract
The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract is home to trillions of microorganisms, some
beneficial and others potentially harmful. Recent advances in science have allowed
us to identify the multitude of organisms inhabiting the GI tract and parse out those
that play a role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Unfortunately, most research
has focused on studying only the bacteria while ,overlooking a key player, fungus.
In order to address this issue, we have focused our efforts on studying the fungal
community in the GI tract known as the mycobiome. We found that patients with Crohn’s
disease (CD) tend to have much higher levels of the fungus Candida tropicalis compared
to their healthy family members, as well as two bacteria, Escherichia coli and Serratia marcescens. Furthermore, we showed that these three organisms worked together to form robust
biofilms capable of exacerbating intestinal inflammation. Herein, we discuss the role
of the mycobiome in health and disease, and highlight the importance of maintaining
balance of the GI microbiota. Additionally, taking into consideration recent next
generation sequencing data, we provide insight into potentially new therapeutic approaches
in the treatment of IBD through the use of antifungals and/or probiotics aimed at
establishing and maintaining a healthy balance of the GI total microbial community
including fungi and bacteria.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 04, 2017
Accepted:
August 7,
2017
Received in revised form:
July 27,
2017
Received:
April 24,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
