Mycobiota (plural noun, no singular) are a group of all the fungi present in a particular geographic region (e.g. "the mycobiota of Ireland") or habitat type (e.g. "the mycobiota of cocoa").[1][2] An analogous term for Mycobiota is funga.
Mycobiota exist on the surface and in the gastrointestinal system of humans.[3] There are as many as sixty-six genera and 184 species in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy people. Most of these are in the Candida genera.[3][4][5]
Though found to be present on the skin and in the gi tract in healthy individuals, the normal resident mycobiota can become pathogenic in those who are immunocompromised.[6][7] Such multispecies infections lead to higher mortalities.[8] In addition hospital-acquired infections by C. albicans have become a cause of major health concerns.[9][10] A high mortality rate of 40-60% is associated with systemic infection.[10][11][12][13][14][5] The best-studied of these are Candida species due to their ability to become pathogenic in immunocompromised and even in healthy hosts.[13][14][5] Yeasts are also present on the skin, such as Malassezia species, where they consume oils secreted from the sebaceous glands.[15][16][12] Pityrosporum (Malassezia) ovale, which is lipid-dependent and found only on humans. P. ovale was later divided into two species, P. ovale and P. orbiculare, but current sources consider these terms to refer to a single species of fungus, with M. furfur the preferred name.[17]
Kerawala, C; Newlands, C, eds. (2010). Oral and maxillofacial surgery. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 446, 447. ISBN 978-0-19-920483-0. Erdogan, Askin; Rao, Satish S. C. (April 2015). "Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth". Current Gastroenterology Reports. 17 (4). doi:10.1007/s11894-015-0436-2. PMID 25786900. S2CID 3098136. Small intestinal fungal overgrowth (SIFO) is characterized by the presence of excessive number of fungal organisms in the small intestine associated with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Candidiasis is known to cause GI symptoms particularly in immunocompromised patients or those receiving steroids or antibiotics. However, only recently, there is emerging literature that an overgrowth of fungus in the small intestine of non-immunocompromised subjects may cause unexplained GI symptoms. Two recent studies showed that 26 % (24/94) and 25.3 % (38/150) of a series of patients with unexplained GI symptoms had SIFO. The most common symptoms observed in these patients were belching, bloating, indigestion, nausea, diarrhea, and gas. ... Fungal-bacterial interaction may act in different ways and may either be synergistic or antagonistic or symbiotic [29]. Some bacteria such as Lactobacillus species can interact and inhibit both the virulence and growth of Candida species in the gut by producing hydrogen peroxide [30]. Any damage to the mucosal barrier or disruption of GI microbiota with chemotherapy or antibiotic use, inflammatory processes, activation of immune molecules and disruption of epithelial repair may all cause fungal overgrowth [27].
Lin, Yi Jey; Alsad, Lina; Vogel, Fabio; Koppar, Shardul; Nevarez, Leslie; Auguste, Fabrice; Seymour, John; Syed, Aisha; Christoph, Kristina; Loomis, Joshua S. (2013). "Interactions between Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus within mixed species biofilms". BIOS. 84: 30–39. doi:10.1893/0005-3155-84.1.30. S2CID 96930404. Tortora, Gerald J. (2010). Microbiology: An Introduction. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings. p. 758.
Calderone, A; Clancy, CJ, eds. (2012). Candida and Candidiasis (2nd ed.). ASM Press. ISBN 978-1-55581-539-4. Weinberger, M (2016-04-16). "Characteristics of candidaemia with Candida-albicans compared with non-albicans Candida species and predictors of mortality". J Hosp Infect. 61 (2): 146–54. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2005.02.009. PMID 16009456. Freedberg; et al., eds. (2003). Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. p. 1187. ISBN 0-07-138067-1.
