Metagenomics and metabolomics approaches in the study of Candida albicans colonization of host niches: a framework for finding microbiome-based antifungal strategies.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that can cause superficial and invasive infections. Seventy-five percent of women suffer from vaginal candidiasis at least once in their lifetime, 372 million women are currently suffering from recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis, and 700 000 cases of invasive candidiasis are reported yearly, with an associated mortality of 30–40%. Bacteria from the gut and vaginal microbiota can control C. albicans growth by the release of antifungal metabolites, modulation of the host immune response, and/or competition for nutrients, niches, and adhesion sites. Cutting-edge OMICs-based pipelines, relying on metagenomics and/or metabolomics, have permitted the identification of bacterial species and metabolites with potential antifungal activities. The development of experimental platforms has allowed the validation and screening of new anti- C. albicans bacteria. In silico and experimental approaches have allowed an ever-growing understanding of the interactions within the microbiota. For instance, recently acquired data have increased knowledge of the mechanisms that support, in the gut and vaginal microbiota, the resistance to colonization by Candida albicans , an opportunistic fungal pathogen whose overgrowth can initiate severe infections in immunocompromised patients. Here, we review how bacteria from the microbiota interact with C. albicans. We show how recent OMICs-based pipelines, using metagenomics and/or metabolomics, have identified bacterial species and metabolites modulating C. albicans growth. We finally discuss how the combined use of cutting-edge OMICs-based and experimental approaches could provide new means to control C. albicans overgrowth within the microbiota and prevent its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]