Mycobiota as part microbiota: features methods of studying at present

The correct formation of the design of future research determines the representativeness of the results. Today, most studies are mainly focused on the study of the bacterial component of the human intestinal microbiota, and its fungal component is not taken into account. The study of intestinal mycobiota, which belongs to a diverse set of fungal species, is a relatively new and rapidly progressing field of study. Despite the ubiquity and abundance of fungi that inhabit the human intestines, their totality is several orders of magnitude smaller than bacteria. Recent studies, however, have shown that mycobiota can be closely associated with health and disease, that fungal communities not only change with the disease, but also play a role in maintaining homeostasis of a particular locus of the human body, as well as in influencing systemic immunity. In addition, it is now widely believed that the associations of fungi of various species in the host organism, the associations of bacteria and fungi are crucial for the health of the host. However, less than 0.4% of the literature is devoted to the study of mycobiota and mycobiome. The mechanisms by which fungi interact with other components of the microbiome and host remain poorly characterized. The results of scientific research conducted for this purpose are often contradictory, and difficulties arise when trying to compare data. Researchers use different methods of obtaining material for research, different methods of studying its composition, diverse groups of patients (different geographical regions, without primary treatment, with treatment, different stages of the disease, etc.), often a small sample. Currently, a full-fledged study of mycobiome is possible only with a multifaceted and multidisciplinary approach. An extremely interesting field of study is the functionality of various species of fungi, including how they interact with other eukaryotes and prokaryotes present in various loci of the human body. It remains to be seen, more importantly, how these interactions affect us.

mycobiome, microbiome, mycobiota, microbiota, bacteriome