S10.3d Yeast Microbiome in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

S10.3 THE MYCOBIOME CHARACTERIZATION: FUTURE PERSPECTIVES OR JUST A TREND?, SEPTEMBER 24, 2022, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: OBJECTIVE: The intestinal microbiota plays major roles in host-protective functions and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Although some data suggest a role of the yeast microbiota in IBD pathogenesis, the available data are rare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fecal yeast microbiota in patients with IBD. METHODS: Fungal isolates of the fecal microbiota of 120 patients with IBD and 30 healthy control individuals were determined using conventional and molecular (ITS sequencing and RFLP) methods. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 37.4 ± 12.2 years (range 15-72 years). Of 120 patients included, 67 had ulcerative colitis (55.8%) and 53 had Crohn's disease (44.2%). Ulcerative colitis was more prevalent in women than Crohn's disease (61.7% vs 50.2%, P <.005). The median time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 9.58 ± 8.56 years. In total, 73 colonies of Candida spp. were isolated from 60 patients with IBD. The most common identified species of Candida were C. albicans (42.4%), C. glabrata (20.5%), and C. krusei (6.8%). The incidence of non-albicans Candida species (57.6%) was higher than C. albicans (42.4%). We observed an increased proportion of C. albicans compared with healthy individuals (28.5% vs 21.6%). The frequencies of C. glabrata were significantly higher among IBD patients rather than the control group (20.5% vs 9.8%). CONCLUSION: Candida albicans were found to be increased in abundance in the IBD samples. These data emphasize the potential importance of yeast microbiota signatures as biomarkers. Moreover, we unravel here disease-specific-Candida species network alterations in IBD, suggesting that, Candida species might play a role in IBD pathogenesis.