Determinants and Interactions of Oral Bacterial and Fungal Microbiota in Healthy Chinese Adults
Man Kit Cheung, Jason Y. K. Chan, Martin C. S. Wong, Po Yee Wong, Lei Pu, Liuyang Cai, Linlin Lan, Wendy C. S. Ho, Apple C. M. Yeung, Paul K.S. Chan, Zigui Chen
Abstract
Numerous studies have examined the bacterial community residing in our oral cavity; however, information on the less dominant yet ecologically and clinically important fungal members is limited. In this study, we characterized simultaneously the oral bacterial and fungal microbial communities in a large cohort of healthy Chinese adults, examined their associations with an array of host factors, and explored potential interactions between the two microbial groups. We showed that different factors shape the diversity and structure of the oral bacterial and fungal microbial communities in healthy adults, with, for instance, sex and age only associated with the diversity of the bacterial community but not that of the fungal community. Besides, we found that bacterial-fungal interactions are limited in the healthy oral cavity. Overall, our study has facilitated understanding of the determining factors and bacterial-fungal interactions of the healthy human oral microbial community.