Since the start of the pandemic, you may have had moments of loneliness, yet know that you are never alone: according to theInserm, our digestive tract would house no less than 1012 to 1014 microorganisms, which is 2 to 10 times more than the number of cells that make up our body. This is called the “intestinal microbiota”, as its name suggests, it is all the microorganisms present in the intestine. The intestinal microbiota, also called intestinal flora, is made up of bacteria, viruses. , parasites and non-pathogenic fungi The proportion of fungi is called “mycobiota” and represents only 0.01 to 0.1% of the intestinal microbiota, yet it performs essential tasks for the proper functioning of the organism.
How does this colony of intestinal fungi called “mycobiota develop? ” ?
Its onset could take place at birth, immediately after, or even ten days later. Colonization depends in part on whether the child is born by caesarean section or vaginally (vaginally). The mother’s lifestyle (taking antibiotics, alcohol consumption, etc.) could also have an impact on the fungal diversity (relating to fungi) of the child. However, it is still unclear how humans are colonized by these fungi and if this is affected by the environment and / or other factors.
According to a study published in the journal Microbiome, the child’s lifestyle would strongly impact his mycobiota. For example, for children aged 10 days to 3 months who are almost exclusively breastfed, their intestinal mycobiota would be dominated by yeast Debaryomyces hansenii from breast milk. Then, as they grow, children are subjected to varied diets, exposed to complex environments and stimuli such as drugs and hormones, also influencing the composition of their mycobiota.
In general, the mycobiota changes during the first years of life, during which certain fungal species dominate according to the different stages of development, this is what could be called internal modification.
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However, these modifications may also depend on external processes. For example, repeated stress, excess sugar, pregnancy, diabetes and / or taking certain medications (birth control pills, antibiotics) can cause the number of named microscopic fungi to increase. Candida albicans, leading to a disruption of the intestinal mycobiota, also called candidiasis. Alcohol abuse, meanwhile, can cause cirrhosis (chronic inflammation), often caused by an abundance of fungi. Candida in the duodenum (the initial part of the small intestine). Consumed since antiquity, the drink kefir – made from “kefir grains” and resulting from the fermentation of fruit juice or milk – is rich in probiotic and can then be used as therapy against liver disease.
The researchers go further by showing that the mycobiota can vary according to sex, morphology and ethnicity. This could quite simply be linked to a differentiated diet according to these factors.
When the digestive and immune system are impacted by the mycobiota
Like gut bacteria, gut fungi regulate various physiological functions in their host. Indeed, they would play an essential role on our organs and our immune system. For example, the mycobiota, by producing two substances called candidalysin and farnesol, would regulate various immune responses. Some fungal extracts would even have antiviral properties, which suggests new avenues for the treatment of viral diseases. Moreover, studies in mice have shown that the transplantation of fecal matter would have the capacity to artificially regulate the community of intestinal fungi, in order to improve the immunity of the patient concerned.
In addition, a dysbiosis (imbalance) of the mycobiota could cause intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases. The mycobiota can prove to be the reservoir of opportunistic pathogens. The dysregulation of the mycobiota would be correlated with certain intestinal diseases. Indeed, a child suffering from chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) would have a mycobiota composed of 72.9% of Candida, against 32.9% in healthy children. The sick child would also have a lower fungal diversity than that of the healthy child. Therefore, modulation of the intestinal mycobiota could be a potential target for the treatment of IBD. In fact, in irritable bowel syndrome, the fungus S. cerevisiae would have shown its ability to improve gastroenteritis and relieve abdominal pain.
Gluten intolerance and diabetes, the unsuspected role of the mycobiota
In recent years the marketing of gluten-free products has increased significantly, and for good reason, many people are gluten intolerant (celiac disease), yet the diagnosis of this disease can take a long time. Celiac disease is difficult to diagnose on time due to the lack of clinical symptoms. Yet we now know that the fungus Candida would be involved in gluten intolerance; therefore, if we can make a direct link between Candida and celiac disease, Candida could make it possible to diagnose the latter.
Results also indicate that intestinal fungi may be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes. In fact, patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes have a higher colonization of C. albicans than healthy witnesses. Likewise, patients with type 1 diabetes exhibit a greater diversity of fungal species.
Like the microbiota, the mycobiota therefore opens up many interesting avenues in terms of health and medical treatments. However, all of his studies are beginnings in the field of research on the intestinal mycobiota, so further studies would be necessary to confirm these advances.
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