pathogens Review Fungal-Bacterial Interactions in Health and Disease 1, 1, 1,2 1,2,3 Wibke Krüger y, Sarah Vielreicher y, Mario Kapitan , Ilse D. Jacobsen and Maria Joanna Niemiec 1,2,* 1 Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute, Jena 07745, Germany;
[email protected] (W.K.);
[email protected] (S.V.);
[email protected] (M.K.);
[email protected] (I.D.J.) 2 Center for Sepsis Control and Care, Jena 07747, Germany 3 Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena 07743, Germany * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +49-3641-532-1454 These authors contributed equally to this work. y Received: 22 February 2019; Accepted: 16 May 2019; Published: 21 May 2019 Abstract: Fungi and bacteria encounter each other in various niches of the human body. There, they interact directly with one another or indirectly via the host response. In both cases, interactions can affect host health and disease. In the present review, we summarized current knowledge on fungal-bacterial interactions during their commensal and pathogenic lifestyle. We focus on distinct mucosal niches: the oral cavity, lung, gut, and vagina. In addition, we describe interactions during bloodstream and wound infections and the possible consequences for the human host. Keywords: mycobiome; microbiome; cross-kingdom interactions; polymicrobial; commensals; synergism; antagonism; mixed infections 1. Introduction 1.1. Origins of Microbiota Research Fungi and bacteria are found on all mucosal epithelial surfaces of the human body. After their discovery in the 19th century, for a long time the presence of microbes was thought to be associated mostly with disease.