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Dysbiosis of the Gut-Lung Axis and Its Immune Correlates During Pulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans Infection

Jing Fan1, Shujun Liu1, Huijiao Zhang1

  • 1Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Building 1, Jinan Medical and Health Science and Technology Innovation Industrial Park, No. 288, Jiqi Road, Huayin District, Jinan 250021, China.

Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 27, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Cryptococcus neoformans infection disrupts the gut and lung microbiome, impacting immune responses. This study highlights the interconnected gut-lung axis in cryptococcosis, suggesting microbiome-targeted therapies.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Medical Mycology

Background:

  • Cryptococcus neoformans causes life-threatening meningitis, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
  • The gut-lung axis influences respiratory infections, but its role in cryptococcosis is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate dynamic changes in gut and lung microbiota during C. neoformans infection.
  • To determine the relationship between microbial shifts and host immune responses in the gut-lung axis.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a mouse model of pulmonary C. neoformans infection.
  • Analyzed lung and gut microbiota composition using sequencing.
  • Integrated microbial data with host immune profiling (e.g., cytokine analysis).
  • Employed functional metagenomic predictions for metabolic pathway analysis.

Main Results:

  • Pulmonary C. neoformans infection led to significant gut and lung microbiota dysbiosis.
  • Dysbiosis involved decreased beneficial bacteria and increased opportunistic pathogens.
  • Lung dysbiosis correlated with IL-17-mediated inflammation; gut dysbiosis linked to systemic immune activation.
  • Microbial metabolic pathways were disrupted in both gut and lung.
  • A positive correlation between lung and gut dysbiosis indicated an interconnected gut-lung axis.

Conclusions:

  • C. neoformans infection causes coordinated disruptions in microbiota and immunity across the gut-lung axis.
  • The microbiome critically modulates host responses in cryptococcosis.
  • Findings suggest potential for microbiome-targeted therapeutic strategies.
Keywords:
fungal infectiongut–lung axismicrobiome

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