Ecological competition in the oral mycobiome of Hispanic adults living in Puerto Rico associates with periodontitis

Abstract

Background: Fungi are a major component of the human microbiome that only recently received attention. The imbalance of indigenous fungal communities and environmental fungi present in the oral cavity may have a role in oral dysbiosis, which could exacerbate oral inflammatory diseases.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study and recruited 88 participants aged 21 to 49 from sexually transmitted infection clinics in Puerto Rico. A full-mouth periodontal examination following the NHANES protocol defined periodontal severity (CDC/AAP). ITS2 (fungal) genes were amplified and sequenced for mycobiota characterization of yeast and environmental fungi. Environmental outdoor spore levels were measured daily by the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology San Juan station and defined by quartiles as spore scores.

Results: Our data indicate polymicrobial colonization of yeast and environmental fungi in the oral cavity. Dominant taxa associated with periodontal disease included Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rigidoporus vinctus, and Aspergillus penicilloides, while Candida albicans were found to be ubiquitous. Fungal aerosols were found to impact the oral cavity biofilm, likely due to competition and neutralization by inhaled outdoor and indoor fungal spores.

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report showcasing the ecological competition of measured outdoor environmental fungi with the human oral mycobiota.

KEYWORDS:

• Mycobiota
• oral cavity
• Hispanics
• periodontitis
• Candida

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/20002297.2024.2316485

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by an award from the NIH National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research 1R21DE027226-01A1 and R21 DE027226 02S (NIDCR Diversity Supplement). Partial funds were given by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities U54-MD007600; the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Institutional. Development Award (IDeA) grant number 5P20GM103475 and the Hispanic Alliance for Clinical and Translational Research (Alliance) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) U54GM133807.