Digestive tract mycobiota and microbiota and the effects on the immune system

Abstract

The human gastrointestinal tract exists as a complex ecosystem and contains a mycobiome and a microbiome that play central roles in host health, disease and immune system regulation. Here, we reviewed the traditional culture-dependent methods, the culturomics methods and the molecular methods used to study the gut mycobiome and microbiome. With the development of next-generation sequencing techniques, these last two methods have greatly broadened the understanding of the roles of gut bacteria in health and disease. Thus, dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and mycobiota has been found to be associated with some diseases; disruptions to the fungal and bacterial commensal communities influence the immune response and impact disease status.