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Review
. 2024 Mar 19:15:1355418.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1355418. eCollection 2024.

It's time to shed some light on the importance of fungi in neonatal intensive care units: what do we know about the neonatal mycobiome?

Dobrochna Wojciechowska  1   2 , Sylwia Salamon  3 , Katarzyna Wróblewska-Seniuk  1
Affiliations
Review

It's time to shed some light on the importance of fungi in neonatal intensive care units: what do we know about the neonatal mycobiome?

Dobrochna Wojciechowska et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

The 21st century, thanks to the development of molecular methods, including DNA barcoding, using Sanger sequencing, and DNA metabarcoding, based on next-generation sequencing (NGS), is characterized by flourishing research on the human microbiome. Microbial dysbiosis is perceived as a new pathogenetic factor for neonatal diseases. Fungi are crucial, but neglected, components of the neonatal microbiome, which, despite their low abundance, significantly impact morbidity and mortality rates of premature infants hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). The neonatal mycobiome's composition and effect on health remain poorly studied research areas. Our knowledge about neonatal mycobiome, composed of limited genera, is mainly based on research on the bacterial microbiome. We presume it is influenced by clinical factors, including prematurity, antibiotic therapy, and type of delivery. Understanding these risk factors may be useful in prevention strategies against dysbiosis and invasive fungal infections. Despite the methodological challenges resulting from the biology of the fungal cell, this topic is an attractive area of research that may contribute to more effective treatment, especially of newborns from risk groups. In this mini review, we discuss the current state of knowledge, research gaps, study difficulties, and future research directions on the neonatal mycobiome, concerning potential future clinical applications.

Keywords: DNA barcoding; fungal microbiome; microbial dysbiosis; neonatal intensive care unit; neonatal mycobiome; next generation sequencing; prematurity; vertical transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of selected milestones in mycobiome research.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding received for open access publication. A small research grant from Poznań University of Medical Sciences Doctoral School (Budget ID: 5344) and the resources of Poznań University of Medical Sciences (Budget of the Vice-Rector for Science).

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