Bacteria and fungi of the lung: allies or enemies?

Moving from the earlier periods in which the lungs were believed to represent sterile environments, our knowledge on the lung microbiota has dramatically increased, from the first descriptions of the microbial communities inhabiting the healthy lungs and the definition of the ecological rules that r...

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Main Authors: Enrico Garaci, Marilena Pariano, Emilia Nunzi, Claudio Costantini, Marina Maria Bellet, Cinzia Antognelli, Matteo Antonio Russo, Luigina Romani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Pharmacology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1497173/full
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author Enrico Garaci
Marilena Pariano
Emilia Nunzi
Claudio Costantini
Marina Maria Bellet
Cinzia Antognelli
Matteo Antonio Russo
Luigina Romani
Luigina Romani
author_facet Enrico Garaci
Marilena Pariano
Emilia Nunzi
Claudio Costantini
Marina Maria Bellet
Cinzia Antognelli
Matteo Antonio Russo
Luigina Romani
Luigina Romani
author_sort Enrico Garaci
collection DOAJ
description Moving from the earlier periods in which the lungs were believed to represent sterile environments, our knowledge on the lung microbiota has dramatically increased, from the first descriptions of the microbial communities inhabiting the healthy lungs and the definition of the ecological rules that regulate its composition, to the identification of the changes that occur in pathological conditions. Despite the limitations of lung as a microbiome reservoir due to the low microbial biomass and abundance, defining its microbial composition and function in the upper and lower airways may help understanding the impact on local homeostasis and its disruption in lung diseases. In particular, the understanding of the metabolic and immune significance of microbes, their presence or lack thereof, in health and disease states could be valuable in development of novel druggable targets in disease treatments. Next-generation sequencing has identified intricate inter-microbe association networks that comprise true mutualistic or antagonistic direct or indirect relationships in the respiratory tract. In this review, the tripartite interaction of bacteria, fungi and the mammalian host is addressed to provide an integrated view of the microbial-host cross-talk in lung health and diseases from an immune and metabolic perspective.
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publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
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spelling doaj-art-d6a69ef18b7840a898bea0bdf7088e4a2025-08-20T02:12:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122024-11-011510.3389/fphar.2024.14971731497173Bacteria and fungi of the lung: allies or enemies?Enrico Garaci0Marilena Pariano1Emilia Nunzi2Claudio Costantini3Marina Maria Bellet4Cinzia Antognelli5Matteo Antonio Russo6Luigina Romani7Luigina Romani8San Raffaele Research Center, Sulmona, L’Aquila, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyIRCCS San Raffaele Roma, Rome, ItalySan Raffaele Research Center, Sulmona, L’Aquila, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyMoving from the earlier periods in which the lungs were believed to represent sterile environments, our knowledge on the lung microbiota has dramatically increased, from the first descriptions of the microbial communities inhabiting the healthy lungs and the definition of the ecological rules that regulate its composition, to the identification of the changes that occur in pathological conditions. Despite the limitations of lung as a microbiome reservoir due to the low microbial biomass and abundance, defining its microbial composition and function in the upper and lower airways may help understanding the impact on local homeostasis and its disruption in lung diseases. In particular, the understanding of the metabolic and immune significance of microbes, their presence or lack thereof, in health and disease states could be valuable in development of novel druggable targets in disease treatments. Next-generation sequencing has identified intricate inter-microbe association networks that comprise true mutualistic or antagonistic direct or indirect relationships in the respiratory tract. In this review, the tripartite interaction of bacteria, fungi and the mammalian host is addressed to provide an integrated view of the microbial-host cross-talk in lung health and diseases from an immune and metabolic perspective.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1497173/fullrespiratory bacteriomerespiratory mycobiomebacterial-fungal interactionsimmunitymetabolism
spellingShingle Enrico Garaci
Marilena Pariano
Emilia Nunzi
Claudio Costantini
Marina Maria Bellet
Cinzia Antognelli
Matteo Antonio Russo
Luigina Romani
Luigina Romani
Bacteria and fungi of the lung: allies or enemies?
Frontiers in Pharmacology
respiratory bacteriome
respiratory mycobiome
bacterial-fungal interactions
immunity
metabolism
title Bacteria and fungi of the lung: allies or enemies?
title_full Bacteria and fungi of the lung: allies or enemies?
title_fullStr Bacteria and fungi of the lung: allies or enemies?
title_full_unstemmed Bacteria and fungi of the lung: allies or enemies?
title_short Bacteria and fungi of the lung: allies or enemies?
title_sort bacteria and fungi of the lung allies or enemies
topic respiratory bacteriome
respiratory mycobiome
bacterial-fungal interactions
immunity
metabolism
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1497173/full
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