AbstractThe human mycobiome, which varies according to its location, remains a small entity compared with the other components of the microbiome. It appears to play an important role in health, notably as an activator of inflammation and immunity. The mycobiome is formed at birth and can vary according to delivery mode and the infant's diet. Throughout life, the mycobiome varies depending on a number of factors, including diet, age, sex and treatments. In the lung, as in the digestive tract, the mycobiome shows great intra-individual variability and changes according to the dietary or airborne exposome. The pulmonary or digestive "core mycobiome" is mainly composed of Candida-type yeasts (Saccharomycotina) and Malassezia spp. Fungal dysbiosis has been described in several pathologies, in particular chronic inflammatory diseases, but also cancers and non-fungal infectious diseases. Candida spp., which are involved in mycobiome, appear to play a pro-inflammatory role or even promote tumorigenesis. This review summarizes current knowledge of the mycobiome at different anatomical sites and its role in human health. Knowledge of the mycobiome in healthy subjects will eventually enable us to investigate fungal dysbiosis and its diagnostic or prognostic factors.
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