Fungi inhabiting the healthy human gastrointestinal tract: A diverse and dynamic community

Authors

Heather E. Hallen-Adams, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow
Stephen D. Kachman, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jaehyoung Kim, University of Nebraka-Lincoln
Ryan Legge, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Inés Martínez, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

ORCID IDs

Stephen D. Kachman

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

6-2015

Citation

Published in Fungal Ecology 15 (June 2015), pp. 9–17; doi: 10.1016/j.funeco.2015.01.006

Comments

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The British Mycological Society. Used by permission.

Abstract

Fungal DNA was selectively amplified, and the ITS region sequenced, from fecal samples taken from 45 healthy human volunteers at one (21 volunteers) or two (24 volunteers) time points. Seventy-two operational taxonomic units, representing two phyla and ten classes of fungi, were recovered. Candida yeasts, notably C. tropicalis (present in 51 samples), and yeasts in the Dipodascaceae (39 samples), dominated, while 38 OTUs were detected in a single sample each. Fungi included known human symbionts (Candida, Cryptococcus, Malassezia and Trichosporon spp.), common airborne fungi (Cladosporium sp.) and fungi known to be associated with food (Debaryomyces hansenii and high salt fermented foods; Penicillium roqueforti and blue cheese). In contrast with gut-associated bacteria, fungi occurred in much lower abundance and diversity, and fungal composition appeared unstable over time.