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Updated: Aug 10, 2025
05:27
An Intestinal Gut Organ Culture System for Analyzing Host-Microbiota Interactions
Published on: June 30, 2021
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Host Factors Associated with Gut Mycobiome Structure
Natalia Szóstak1, Luiza Handschuh1,2, Anna Samelak-Czajka1
1Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Msystems
|February 14, 2023
Summary
The gut mycobiota, dominated by yeasts like Saccharomyces, varies significantly with diet, age, and marital status in Europeans. This large-scale study reveals key factors influencing gut fungi, paving the way for microbiome-based health insights.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Human Health
- Gut Microbiome Research
Background:
- The human gut harbors a complex fungal community (mycobiota) influencing health.
- Research on gut mycobiomes, especially in large European cohorts, remains limited.
- Understanding mycobiota variations and their drivers is crucial for human health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the composition and variation of gut mycobiota in a large European population.
- To explore associations between gut fungi and sociodemographic, lifestyle, health, and dietary factors.
- To identify key host-related factors influencing gut mycobiota variability.
Main Methods:
- Whole-metagenome high-throughput sequencing of fecal DNA from 923 participants.
- Computational and statistical analyses to associate fungal taxonomic profiles with 53 host-related factors.
- Analysis of alpha and beta diversity and differential abundance of fungal species.
Main Results:
- Gut fungal communities were dominated by Saccharomyces, Candida, and Sporisorium.
- Ten factors significantly correlated with mycobiota variation, primarily diet-related (chips, meat, alcohol) and also age and marital status.
- Body Mass Index (BMI), job type, autoimmune diseases, and probiotic use also showed associations with diversity.
Conclusions:
- Gut mycobiota composition is influenced by various host-related factors, particularly diet, age, and marital status.
- A core gut mycobiota may exist, despite high inter-individual variability.
- This study provides a comprehensive analysis of gut mycobiota in a European cohort, offering insights for future research and precision medicine.
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