The oral fungal mycobiome: characteristics and relation to periodontitis in a pilot studyOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
This pilot study characterized the oral fungal microbiome, or mycobiome, using pan-fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequencing of DNA from oral wash samples. The researchers aimed to describe the composition of oral fungi and to compare it between people with periodontal disease and people with good oral health. This addresses a gap in the literature, since the oral mycobiome had not been well characterized relative to oral diseases like periodontitis.
Who was studied?
The study included 30 adult subjects: 15 with periodontal disease and 15 with good oral health. Oral wash samples were collected from each participant and used to extract DNA for ITS gene sequencing. This is a small, pilot-scale human cohort rather than a large population sample.
What were the most important findings?
Across all samples, at least 81 fungal genera and 154 fungal species were identified. Candida and Aspergillus were the most frequently detected genera, each found in 100% of participants, followed by Penicillium, Schizophyllum, Rhodotorula, and Gibberella. Candida and Aspergillus were also the most abundant genera overall (median relative abundance of 21% and 44%, respectively), with Aspergillus niger the single most abundant species. Despite genus Candida's prior association with periodontal disease, this study found no significant differences in overall mycobiome diversity, composition, or taxon-level relative abundance between the periodontitis group and the healthy group.
What are the greatest implications of this study?
The findings suggest that Candida and Aspergillus are core, highly prevalent members of the healthy oral mycobiome, not exclusive markers of periodontal disease. Because overall fungal community composition did not differ significantly between diseased and healthy subjects, this pilot data argues against a simple, strong link between global oral mycobiome shifts and periodontitis. The results support further, larger studies to clarify whether specific fungal taxa, including Candida, play a more subtle or context-dependent role in periodontal disease.