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The mycobiota: interactions between commensal fungi and the host immune system

2014; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 14; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/nri3684

1474-1741

David M. Underhill, Iliyan D. Iliev,

Fungal Infections and Studies

Research into the role of commensal microorganisms in influencing the immune system has mainly focused on bacterial communities. Here, the authors review recent studies that highlight the importance of commensal fungi and how the immune system interacts with these communities at different body sites. The body is host to a wide variety of microbial communities from which the immune system protects us and that are important for the normal development of the immune system and for the maintenance of healthy tissues and physiological processes. Investigators have mostly focused on the bacterial members of these communities, but fungi are increasingly being recognized to have a role in defining these communities and to interact with immune cells. In this Review, we discuss what is currently known about the makeup of fungal communities in the body and the features of the immune system that are particularly important for interacting with fungi at these sites.