Commensal Fungi in Health and Disease

Fungi are increasingly being recognized as common members of the microbiomes found on nearly all mucosal surfaces, and interest is growing in understanding how these organisms may contribute to health and disease. In this review, we investigate recent developments in our understanding of the fungal microbiota or “mycobiota” including challenges faced in characterizing it, where these organisms are found, their diversity, and how they interact with host immunity. Growing evidence indicates that, like the bacterial microbiota, the fungal microbiota is often altered in disease states, and increasingly studies are being designed to probe the functional consequences of such fungal dysbiosis on health and disease. Like bacteria, fungi are part of the microbiomes found on body surfaces, and interest is growing in how these organisms contribute to health and disease. Limon et al. review recent developments in identifying members of the fungal microbiota as well as understanding how our immune systems interact with commensal fungi.