The Effect of Mycobiome Supplementation on Gastrointestinal Symptoms in IBD Patients

Inflammatory bowel diseases ("IBD") are a group of chronic immune-mediated diseases with typical onset during young adulthood and a lifelong course characterized by periods of remission and relapse. IBDs involving two main clinical forms- Crohn's disease ("CD") and ulcerative colitis (UC). CD can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract with the frequent presentation of abdominal pain, fever, weight loss, and clinical signs of bowel obstruction or diarrhea. In comparison,ulcerative colitis ("UC), in which Inflammation is restricted to the mucosal surface of the colon, manifesting as continuous areas of inflammation, ulceration, edema and hemorrhage. Usually both conditions are chronic, though ulcerative colitis is curable by surgical removal of the colon. Apart from this, there is no cure for IBD. both CD and UC can be treated with medications that induce and maintain remission. Pharmaceutical treatment includes five major categories, namely anti-inflammatory drugs, immune suppressants, biologic agents, antibiotics, and drugs for symptomatic relief. Choice of therapy depends largely on the severity of disease, and may also be influenced by such factors as disease location, side effects and adverse events, as well as cost. The etiology of IBD has been extensively studied in the past few decades however, the pathogenesis is not well understood. several factors that make a major contribution to disease pathogenesis have been identified and distinct to three categories: genetic factors, environmental factors including breast feeding, diet, smoking, drugs etc and microbial factors, producing sustained inflammation supported by altered mucosal barrier and defects in immune system. This combination of features has made IBD both an appropriate and a high-priority platform for translatable research in host-microbiome interactions.

Studies demonstrated that fungi have a complex, multifaceted role in the gastrointestinal tract and are active participants in directly influencing health and disease through fungal-bacterial, fungal-fungal and fungal-host interactions.

Fungi have been linked with a number of gastrointestinal diseases including IBD, However, the exact role of fungal colonization in the pathophysiology of IBD is not precisely defined. study have shown that the diversity and composition of the fungal communities varies in IBD.

A study that characterized the fungal microbiota in the intestinal mucosa and feces in patients with CD found that the fungal richness significantly elevated in the inflamed mucosa compared with the noninflamed mucosa.

This suggests that in IBD, the mycobiome and microbiome have a mutual influence on each other. Pointing to the role of the bacteria and microbial dysbiosis in IBD.