Commensal Fungi Recapitulate the Protective Benefits of Intestinal Bacteria.

ABSTRACT: Commensal intestinal microbes are collectively beneficial in preventing local tissue injury and augmenting systemic antimicrobial immunity. However, given the near-exclusive focus on bacterial species in establishing these protective benefits, the contributions of other types of commensal microbes remain poorly defined. Here, we show that commensal fungi can functionally replace intestinal bacteria by conferring protection against injury to mucosal tissues and positively calibrating the responsiveness of circulating immune cells. Susceptibility to colitis and influenza A virus infection occurring upon commensal bacteria eradication is efficiently overturned by mono-colonization with either Candida albicans or Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The protective benefits of commensal fungi are mediated

SUBMITTER: Jiang TT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5730478 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature