Sign in Subscribe
Gastrointestinal diseases

Altered Mycobiome in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research has long focused on the bacterial composition of the microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but a new study highlights the importance of the fungal part of the microbiome, the mycobiome. The study, conducted by researchers at Odense University Hospital in Denmark, found that the mycobiome is altered in IBD, with differences in beta diversity between cases and controls consistently reported. The study's findings suggest that the mycobiome plays a crucial role in the development and progression of IBD.

Key Takeaways:

  • The mycobiome is altered in IBD, with differences in beta diversity between cases and controls consistently reported.
  • The most consistent finding was an increase of Candida for both Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) and of Malassezia in CD, where it was often linked to a decrease of Saccharomyces.
  • The studied populations were heterogeneous, and the methodological approaches varied across studies, leading to inconsistent results.
  • The researchers recommend standardizing every step from sample collection through analysis and data processing to allow external validation of findings.
  • Inclusion of treatment-naïve patients and symptomatic controls could further advance this field.
  • The study's findings suggest that the mycobiome plays a crucial role in the development and progression of IBD.

Statistics:

  • The study identified 27 studies, with a total of 1406 IBD patients and 1060 controls.
  • The most consistent finding was an increase of Candida for both CD and UC, and of Malassezia in CD.
  • The differences in alpha diversity varied across studies and were related to geography.
  • The study's findings suggest that the mycobiome is altered in IBD, with differences in beta diversity between cases and controls consistently reported.

Sources:

  • "Gut Mycobiome In Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a Systematic Review of Case-control Studies" by Johannes D. Fuchtbauer et al., published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 2025.
  • Odense University Hospital PhD Fund, NordForsk, Innovation Fund Denmark, Research Council of Norway, Vinnova, Region of Southern Denmark's Pulje, German Research Foundation (DFG), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Research Unit 5042 miTarget, Vinnova.
  • Contact: Johannes D. Fuchtbauer, Odense University Hospital, Dept Med Gastrointestinal Dis S, Klovervaenget 11, Indgang 128, Dk-5000 Odense C, Denmark.
  • "Findings from Odense University Hospital Reveals New Findings on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Gut Mycobiome In Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a Systematic Review of Case-control Studies)" by NewsRx, published in Health & Medicine Week, October 24, 2025.

Read more