Dear Colleagues,

Current studies have documented that, like bacteria, diverse populations of fungi are characteristic to specific sites. Commensal fungi residing in the human and animal body—the mycobiota—are critical components of health and disease: Although they are generally considered to be a minor component, they can have profound effects on the immune system. Disruption of the mycobiota has been proposed to influence the course of infectious diseases, especially among immunocompromised patients (e.g., HIV-infected or cancer patients). 

It is known that the distribution and profile of fungal species in healthy individuals is complex with respect to the number of species identified. For example, the presence of Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Cryptococcus isolates in the oral cavity of healthy individuals is unexpected, since these fungi have not been reported to be colonizers of the oral cavity: It is possible that their pathogenicity is controlled in healthy individuals by other fungi in the oral mycobiota, as well as a functional immune system. It is possible that interdependent relationships may exist between components of the mycobiota and need to be investigated. 

The aim of this Special Issue is to understand the role and the interactions between mycobiota components and the host, both human and animal. Since commensal fungal population vary between body sites, over time and with diseases, it will be interesting to know changes in fungal populations that occur together with pathologies at various sites (skin, hair and nails, oral cavity and gut, vagina, lung) and how the immune system interacts with specific fungi in healthy and disease states. Understanding the relationships between fungal species and other members of the mycobiota will shed light on the pathogenicity of these organisms and may lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of fungal diseases

Prof. Dr. Vivian Tullio
Guest Editor

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• commensal fungi
• mycobiota
• body sites
• role in fungal diseases
• immune system
• novel therapeutic approaches