MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

The Gut Mycobiome for Precision Medicine

Summary

This comprehensive review explores how fungi in our gut play important roles in our health and disease. While fungi make up only a tiny fraction of our gut microbiota, they have outsized effects on conditions like diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and even certain cancers. The review discusses how scientists study these fungi and how understanding individual fungal profiles could lead to personalized medical treatments tailored to each person’s unique microbial makeup.

Background

The human gastrointestinal tract harbors diverse microorganisms including fungi, which despite their low abundance (0.1%), play significant roles in maintaining metabolic balance and immune function. While bacterial microbiomes have been extensively studied, the fungal component of the gut microbiota remains largely understudied and poorly characterized.

Objective

This review examines the composition and functional roles of the gut mycobiome, analyzes methodologies for mycobiome study, and explores associations between fungal dysbiosis and human diseases. The review also assesses the potential of the gut mycobiome as a tool for precision medicine and discusses pathways for clinical translation.

Results

Dysbiosis within the gut mycobiome involves 102 distinct fungal genera, with Candida most frequently associated with disease, followed by Saccharomyces, Aspergillus, and Malassezia. Fungal dysbiosis has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorders, cancers, liver diseases, neurological conditions, and various infections across multiple geographic populations.

Conclusion

The gut mycobiome represents a promising avenue for precision medicine in biomarker discovery, diagnostics, and targeted therapeutics. However, significant challenges remain including lack of standardized methodologies, limited fungal databases, small cohorts, and cross-sectional study designs. Larger, longitudinal studies with standardized protocols are essential for translating mycobiome research into clinical practice.
  • Published in:Journal of Fungi (Basel),
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 40278100, DOI: 10.3390/jof11040279
Scroll to Top