Mycobiome

The mycobiome, mycobiota, or fungal microbiome, is the fungal community in and on an organism. The mycobiome, mycobiota, or fungal microbiome, is the fungal community in and on an organism. There is a low abundance of fungi associated with most human body sites, such as the gastrointestinal tract, where fungi typically compose just 0.001 - 0.1% of the microbial community. However, fungi compose a significant fraction of the microbiome at some locations, such as the ear canal. The mycobiome is relevant to human physiology as fungi may be important in maintaining microbial community structure, metabolic function, and immune-priming. Mutualism between humans and fungi is not yet well understood, and there is much to be learned about how fungi interact with the nonfungal constituents of the microbiome. Many human diseases, including hepatitis, cystic fibrosis, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease have been associated with changes in the human mycobiome, and it has been proposed that any fungal colonization of the GI tract is a sign of disease.