A RECENT study has shed light on the nasal mycobiome’s potential influence in chronic respiratory diseases, including allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma (AS). These conditions, among the most prevalent chronic respiratory diseases, pose significant public health challenges worldwide. While prior research has focused on the nasal bacteriome, little attention has been paid to the nasal mycobiome, the community of fungi residing in the nasal cavity.
Using high-throughput sequencing of internal transcriber spacers (ITS) 1 and 2, researchers analysed the nasal mycobiomes of 339 individuals divided into four groups: those with AR, AR with asthma (ARAS), AS, and healthy controls (CT). The study revealed significant variations in the nasal mycobiome among these groups, particularly in fungal diversity and composition.
Of the 14 most abundant fungal genera identified, 7 to 10, including Malassezia, Alternaria, Cladosporium, and Penicillium, differed significantly (P≤0.049) between disease groups and healthy controls. However, no significant differences in these genera were observed between the three respiratory disease groups (AR, ARAS, and AS). Patients with AR and ARAS exhibited the highest intra-group fungal diversity, while healthy controls showed the lowest.
Microbial richness and evenness (alpha-diversity) varied significantly between AR or ARAS and CT (P≤0.024), and beta-diversity indices of microbial structure differed significantly (P≤0.0004) across all disease groups compared to CT. Further analysis revealed that 30 metabolic pathways were differentially abundant between AR or ARAS and CT, with three pathways associated with 5-aminoimidazole ribonucleotide (AIR) biosynthesis overabundant in ARAS patients. AIR is linked to fungal pathogenesis in plants.
Fungal interaction networks also varied, with AR and ARAS patients showing more similar interactions compared to CT, suggesting chronic respiratory allergic diseases may disrupt fungal connectivity in the nasal cavity.
This study offers valuable insights into the nasal mycobiome’s role in chronic airway diseases, revealing distinct fungal taxa, metabolic pathways, and fungal network alterations associated with AR and ARAS, paving the way for future research into fungal contributions to respiratory health.
Ada Enesco, EMJ
Reference
Pérez-Losada M et al. The nasal mycobiome of individuals with allergic rhinitis and asthma differs from that of healthy controls in composition, structure and function. Front. Microbiol. 2024;DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2024.1464257.
