We are 'holobionts' like lichen or corals - multispecies superorganisms that consist of animal and symbiotic microbes, on which normal physiological functions depend. The mycobiota are a critical part of the gut microbiome, but host-fungal interactions and specific functional contributions of commensal fungi to host fitness remain incompletely understood. We found by serendipity that the fungal commensal Kazachstania heterogenica var. weizmannii could prevent Candida albicans colonization of murine intestines, and even significantly reduce a commensal C. albicans burden in pre-colonized animals, thereby mitigating candidiasis development.
We now aim to define the underlying mechanism of the competition to explore if competitive fungal commensalism can be harnessed for the management of C. albicans-mediated pathologies.
Publications:
Sekeresova Kralova, Donic et al. JExMed 2024
Sekeresova Kralova et al. MRA 2024
Past and present Jung lab members involved in these studies:
Jarmila Sekeresova Kralova, Catalina Donic.
Past and Current Funding:
BINA